Spyro in Mystic Valley
by wildhorsevtl
Summary: did this after the 2nd game had come out and it's something totally different than the games. enjoy!! LAST INSTALLMENT! the ending may or may not shock you...
1. Chapter One

Chapter 1

Heya! Titled Spyro in Mysic Valley, this is actually my very first fic for a game…actually period!! And boy was it messed up when I transferred it over to Word…originally typed on Corel Word Perfect in a font that I didn't have any more *sweatdrop* and I didn't divide it into different chapters but into one big thing! Blah! Anyway enjoy! Original characters owned…er…well at the time it was owned by Insomniac but now by, what Universal? Also this was after the second game, and I didn't know there was gonna be a third game until I was half way into this. So uh yeah, .; Also all the other characters are made by own mind (feel the creativity!!!) Actually I came up with better names back then than I do now…hm…anyway also I didn't know much about tabbing for the indentions…-___- I also added some things here and there and I won't be putting much author notes since I had done it oh so long ago, though I did add some comments here and there which will hopefully make you laugh…or boo…or do nothing…oh well…on with the show! Er story!

"Ugh!" Spyro the Dragon grunted. "There must be an easier way to get apples from a tree than charging it. I'm starting to get a headache." 

Spyro and his best friend, Sparx the Dragonfly, were in the fields trying to get a snack. They lived in the Artisan World, one of the main worlds in the Dragon Kingdom.

            "I'd be glad to help," Sparx told him, "but _you_ scorched my wings, remember?"

            "I didn't mean to! Darius gave me that extra spicy chili pepper drink!"

            "Yeah. Whatever."

            "Really!"

            "Okay! Okay! I believe you! I believe you! You don't have to cry!"

            "Who's crying?"

            "You probably would to try to convince me."

            "Me? Cry? Get real Sparx."

            They were interrupted when a voice came up behind them. "Well, well, well. I figured you would be here."  

            "What do you want, Trevor?" Spyro asked dryly.

Trevor was the meanest dragon in the Artisan world. He was a little older than Spyro and always teased him and the other younger dragons. He gave no respect to Spyro, even though Spyro had saved the other dragons, including him.

            "I was just wondering if you would want some adventure," he said.

            "Adventure! Where?" Spyro said eagerly.

            "I'd be careful if I were you," Sparx said warily. "It could be a trick."

            "When was the last time I did a mean trick to you?" Trevor asked.

            They both started to speak.

            "Forget that question. Anyway, Thor had gotten a message from the Mystic Shadows World. He didn't tell me what the message said. He just told me to get you. If you follow me, I'll take you to him." 

"Okay, but if this _is_ a trick, you'll be very sorry," Spyro said.

Spyro walked behind Trevor. Since Sparx was hurt, he rode on Spyro, which was very fun for the little dragonfly. Finally, they came to Thor's cave, which was very big and spacious. Thor was highly respected since he _was_ the leader of the dragons in the Artisan World.  

The interior of the cave was highly decorated with paintings, furniture, maps, books, and other sorts of things. The cave was lit by torches and was divided into many rooms. The dragons had no doors to other rooms because they thought it was a bother opening and closing them. The only door the dragons had built in was a front and a back door that locked and unlocked. It was the front door that our trio encountered.

After a minute of debating on who should knock the door, Spyro knocked loudly. They could hear footsteps coming and the fumble of the lock. Thor's butler, after a few grunts and pushing, opened the door.

"Master Thor is waiting for you in the den," he said while catching his breath as he pointed to a room at the end of a very long corridor.

"I told you it wasn't a trick," Trevor whispered as they walked through it.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Thor exclaimed when they arrived. "Now, let's get on to business. A message came to me last night from the Mystic Shadows World. It seems that the Black Unicorns and the Black Dragons have joined forces from the Dark Valley. It also said that Ripto has come for revenge. Apparently he managed to survive, though I don't know how. They did not crystalize the dragons there like Gnasty Gnorc did. Instead they hid them somewhere across the World, which is very big indeed. Only one dragon managed to escape them. Her name is Charisma, daughter of Diamond the Queen and their dragon leader, Azurite. They too, were also captured. Luckily the enemy does not know that Charisma is still free. Not yet at least."

             "She was the one that asked for our help but she has only one problem," he continued. "She can only transport two passengers. She was beginning to learn some magic and how to create portals when they were attacked. I have already chosen the two, er, dragons I need to rescue them."

             He paused for a moment to catch his breath, and during this time, Trevor was already thinking that Thor picked _him_.

             "Spyro, Sparx," he said with great authority while looking at both of them, "will you go to Mystic Shadows and fight those villains?" 

            They were really surprised, especially Trevor. His jaw literally dropped all the way down to the floor! Spyro and Sparx eagerly accepted the mission.  

            On the way out, Thor explained what they had to do.

            "Meet me here tomorrow night and you'll be on your way. I have already told your parents and your principal about this and they okayed it. You might want to bring some food for your journey. Charisma said that there was a little amount of food there in the Mystic Shadows. Luckily for you Sparx, she has a place where a lot of the butterflies hid during the invasion. Charisma kept them there the whole time."

            "Sir, how old is Charisma?" Spyro asked curiously.

            "I believe she said she was about as old as you, Spyro."

            "Cool."

            "Do you think your wings will heal in time for the journey, Sparx?" Thor asked  Sparx concerned.

"I'm supposed to go get these casts off my wings today," Sparx replied. 

"We're going to go there right now," Spyro informed Thor.

            All this time, Trevor just stood there with a look on his face.

            The next night, everyone, except Trevor, bid Spyro and Sparx farewell. Only one dragon was really sad to see them go. That dragon was one of the most beautiful dragons in the Artisan World. Her name was Donna. She had adored Spyro ever since he had rescued her from the crystalized prison she had been in. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get him to notice her. 

 "Good-bye Spyro! Be careful!" she shouted.

            "I think you should forget about him and get on with your life. He's just an average dragon," Trevor said walking by.

"Whatever," she retorted.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter 2

            Soon, they had gone through the portal to the Mystic Shadows. They had to hurry because the portal wasn't completely finished. A minute later, they were tossed onto a place where the sky was red and black clouds covered the sky. All the plants were black and etiolated. There were weeds everywhere.  

            Only in a very far distance did they see a patch of green and blue skies. But that was _very_ far away. It could have been a mistake anyway.

                 "Psssssst! Over here!" a voice cried.

                 "Who's there?" Spyro whispered.

            "It's me, Charisma! I'm in the bushes on the left!" 

            They turned to see the shadow of a dragon.

                 "Follow me to a brighter area. Trust me." 

            he voice was so sweet and so melodic that they knew it was the right dragon. They followed her shadow to an area they never noticed before. They stood in front of a wall of a cliff, and after Charisma made sure the coast was clear, she murmured some words that were barely audible. All of a sudden, the cave entrance was revealed. Beyond the cave was a beautiful, butterfly filled, field. It looked exactly the opposite of what Spyro and Sparx had seen before. Once they were inside, the entrance automatically closed, and they were finally able to see Charisma.

            Thor told them she was beautiful, but not what-they-saw beautiful! Her coat was a beautiful shade of yellow. She had a beauty that was much like her mother's and walked with a grace that no other could have. Spyro was speechless. He was in shock. He was just staring at her and his emotions were turning into Jell-O, not to mention his brain. He was falling in love, big time.              

            Sparx, on the other hand, had no effect on her beauty. He was paying more attention to the butterflies. To him, Charisma was just a dragon. He thought of her as a friend, a buddy, su (his) amigo. But he knew what was going on with his friend. He's the only one, besides Spyro's family, of course, who could tell what Spyro's feelings were, and he could definitely tell now.

                 "Spyro!" Sparx whispered. "Say something and stop acting like a ding-dong!"

            "What do I say to a Princess?"  Spyro whispered back.

                 "Introduce yourself, tell where you're from, I don't know! I never did this! Do what you did with that Prince turtle dude when we saved Avalar," Sparx suggested.

                "Okay," Spyro said. He turned to Charisma. "Hello, your majesty," he said bowing. "I am Spyro the Dragon and this is my buddy, Sparx the Dragonfly. We have come to help you regain Mystic Shadows. What shall we do first?"

            "Well, you already know the problem and my name," Charisma said. "So, you can just call me Charisma instead of 'your majesty.' If you are wondering why this area is beautiful and the outside is not, it's because I have kept this very well hidden and they don't really care much about this part of the world anyway. Sooner or later they will send someone flying over here but, like I said, it _is_ very well disguised. If they ever flew over here, they'll just see what you saw on the other side. I have used all my knowledge about cloaking, and that's a lot. That is why it's working well. Now you must be tired. Night falls quickly nowadays, even over here."

                "Sparx," she continued, "I heard you love butterflies, so I collected as many as I could find in the short amount of time during the invasion. Luckily, most of them were already here. This is my secret hiding place, by the way. It's not really much of a secret anymore, now." She paused, trying to think of something to say. "Oh, and sometimes the nights get colder than usual so I have already made some shelter over there behind those trees," she pointed with her head in that direction. "It's not much, but it will do." She turned to Spyro. " Spyro, I don't know what you eat, but I hope you like fruits and vegetables. I even got a supply just for you as a welcoming gift."

            It was getting darker by the minute and the moon and stars started to shine, so they did not see Spyro blush slightly. Charisma was also starting to like Spyro, but she had more thoughts on her mind than romance. There was a long moment of silence as they watch the night unfold before them. 

            "We'd better get to bed now," Sparx said, breaking the silence. "We have to get up bright and early tomorrow, right guys?"

                 "Right," Spyro and Charisma said at the same time.

            They started to head down to their makeshift shelter.

                 Meanwhile, on the other side of the cliff wall, Brutus, the leader of the Black Unicorns, Rex, the leader of the Black Dragons, and Ripto, an evil wizard, were consulting on what to do first.

            "I propose we kill them all!" Ripto cried.

                "What's the fun in _that_? I say we throw them off the edge of the valley!" Rex exclaimed.

                 "What's the _point_ in that action?" Brutus pointed out. "They would just land on earth. I proclaim we make them our slaves and work them really hard!"        

            "Dad! Dad!" a voice behind them cried.

            "What is it Devlin?" Rex asked.

            "We just found out that a dragon is missing!" Devlin exclaimed.

                 "_What?!_" they all roared.

            "It seems that Queen Diamond and King Azurite's daughter was not counted. Only 499 out of 500 dragons were counted," he informed them. "When shall we start searching, Dad?"

            "We shall start tomorrow at dawn!" he exclaimed.

            "What are we going to do with her?" Devlin asked while the others were discussing the plans for the search.

            "What son?" Rex asked distractedly.

            "What are we going to do with her?" he repeated.

            "Why don't you marry her?" Brutus said deviously with an evil gleam in his eye. "That way, we can get a good start on totally ruling this dumb place."     

             "Now why would you want Devlin to marry _her_ when she's a good dragon and we're bad dragons and unicorns?" Rex asked.

            "And an evil wizard," Ripto added.

            "So we can truly conquer Mystic Shadows," Devlin said, catching on with the plan. "I would be heir to Azurite's throne and when he dies, I'll be king! I could make _these_ dragons slaves and call up you guys to help me. Besides, she might call some help soon."

            "That's a really good plan, Devlin," Ripto said, "but how are we going to find her in this big place? She could be anywhere!"

            "Why don't we ask Melvelle? I'm sure that witch could figure out something," Rex said.

            "Did someone mention my name?" a voice asked behind them with some evil laughs.

                 Melvelle was a black cat that used to be a sorceress. During one of her spells, she spilled some Chemical X all over herself. She was then transformed into a black cat. She still continued to cast evil spells everywhere.  She had worked with the Black Unicorns before she had met Ripto and the Black Dragons. She is now helping them carry out their plan to conquer Mystic Shadows. When someone asks her for help, she usually answers with a twist and seldom gives direct answers.

            "Ah, Melvelle. How good to see you! We were just wondering where we could find Charisma. Do you think you could help us?" Rex asked.

                 "Maybe. Maybe not. I can tell you that she is in the place you do not care to look at. She is very tricky and can easily fool you. The clue I give you now is that she can be right under your nose. If you move to that certain place, of course."

                 "Hmmmmm," they said together.

            With a puff of smoke, she disappeared.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter 3

            At dawn, our trio woke up, unaware of the upcoming dangers lying before them. It was at this time that the enemy started looking for them. Charisma sensed something wasn't right.  She told them what she felt and they discussed what they should do. 

            "I say we go in disguise and find out what they're doing out there," Sparx said.

            "I'm only good at cloaking places and things, not animals!" Charisma said. "That was next week's lesson,"

            "Maybe someone could fly up onto the wall, see what's going on, and then tell us," Spyro suggested. "All we'd have to do is color him red. It can't be me because I can only glide, not fly, and I'm too big. Charisma maybe graceful and a little smaller than me, but she can't fly either. That just leaves  . . . " 

            "Oh Sparx!" they both called.

            "No way, no how! I am not risking my neck with those vultures!" Sparx cried.

            "Oh come on. You're the only one who can do it. You're small, fast, and able to fly. Not to mention brave," Charisma said.

            After ten minutes of persuasion, he finally agreed. "I'm only doing it for the butterflies, okay?" he told them. "Now what are going to use to color me red?" 

            "Simple," Spyro replied. "I brought some clay with me in case I got bored, but it'll do. I guess I won't be bored during this trip."

            "Only you, Spyro. Okay, smother me in clay," Sparx said.

            A few minutes later, Sparx was ready to go and do his duty. After a few good lucks from Spyro and Charisma, he flew off to the other side. He was amazed at what he saw. All over the place, black unicorns and dragons were running around searching for something, undoubtedly Charisma.  Some were shouting orders to the others while four figures were just sitting there. He knew two of them must have been the leaders, and the third one was probably the dragon's son, but he couldn't figure out who the fourth figure was. _It sort of looks like - but no! It couldn't be! Could it?_  he asked himself. _It has to be! No one could look that ugly! It must be Ripto! Wait until the others hear about this!_

He quickly flew to the field toward the others and informed them on what he saw. Crystal's face grew pale and Spyro's grew red in rage when he thought of what Ripto had done in Avalar.  

            "Um, guys? I think the clay hardened on me," Sparx said suddenly.

            They quickly went to Sparx's aid and in thirty minutes, Sparx was free.

            "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll eat my well-deserved butterflies," Sparx said hungrily, leaving Charisma and Spyro by themselves.

            "So, um, what's it like to be a princess?" Spyro asked, trying to start a conversation. "It must be interesting." 

            "It's okay, I guess," she answered. "The downside of it is, I don't really like to be thought of as a princess. I like to be thought of as a regular dragon. Everyone tries to tend to my every need and ask if there's anything they can do. The worst thing is, all the boys try to impress me by doing fights. I wouldn't want someone who just likes me by my looks and my title. I want someone who truly cares about me and sees the dragon inside me, not the outside. Someone handsome, smart, brave, funny, dashing, and has a gentle heart, with the exception toward bad guys. What kind of girl would you like, Spyro?"

            "Well, I guess someone smart, gentle, kind, a little spunky, pretty, not too tall, funny, and knows what to do in a crisis. That's pretty much it."

            There was a pause. They both started watching Sparx chase butterflies. He was very good at it, darting left and right to get the butterflies. Each time he got one.

            "Sparx is one peculiar dragonfly," Charisma said thoughtfully. "I thought dragonflies ate fruit or small insects, not butterflies."

            "He was like that ever since we met," Spyro said.

            "How did you meet in the first place?"

            "Well, it was on the first day of school when we met. It went sort of like this:

    __

_            Sparx was being bullied around by some older dragons. I didn't really know anything_ _then, so I said,_ "Stop bullying that poor, defenseless, little dragonfly!"  

            _They said,_ "Why?"  

            _I said,_ "Because if you don't, I'll . . . um, I'll . . . um, burn you!"  

            _Then they said,_ "Yeah right. A little pipsqueak like you burn us!"  

            _They started laughing. I was turning red by the minute. Suddenly, the principal came out to see what the commotion was. By that time, the bullies were bullying both of us. Then I saw the principal behind them tapping his foot.  _

            _I said,_ "You really shouldn't do this you know."   

            "And why not? You're going to BURN us to death?"

_            They started laughing uncontrollably again. Once they had calmed down, I said,_ "No, because the principal is right behind you."                 

            "Yeah right. That wimpy principal is probably asleep from reading those sissy books of his!"       

            "What did you say, young dragon?" _the principal said angrily behind them._  

            "Uh-oh," _they all said together as they slowly turned around._  

            "That will be enough. I am sending all of you to an 8-hour detention tomorrow during the football game."  

            _With that, he grabbed them all by their horns and dragged them toward his office._            "Are you okay?" _I asked Sparx._

            "I think so. They really scared me. Thank you for saving me though. That was really nice of you. I'm new at this school. You must be too. Will you be my friend?"       "Sure."

            "I'm Spyro."

            "I'm Sparx."

            "We'd better get to class now."  

            "Okay."  

            "And that's how we met," Spyro concluded.

            "What an interesting story!" Charisma exclaimed. "My best friend went to the Dragon Shores this week, so she didn't get captured. I guess they only counted the ones who were here. We have lists for that sort of thing."

            Her eyes turned somber again. "Oh Spyro! What am I going to do?!" she cried. "I don't know what I _should_ do for that matter!" She turned to Spyro. "I'm really glad you're here to help me. I just had a dream I was marrying the Leader of the Black Dragons' son! It was horrible! You and Sparx were in chains and the rest of the dragons were in cages!" 

            She began to cry on Spyro's shoulder, who was getting really wet and horrified. He handed her a tissue and started to dry off with a towel he brought with him.

            "I'm sorry," Charisma apologized. "I'm not usually like this. I'm really scared, Spyro," she admitted. "At least I'm not alone. I have you and Sparx. I really appreciate you coming here. I bet being a hero must be cool."

            "It's okay, I guess. Everyone respects me except for some dragons. The one dragon who respects me the least is Trevor."

            "Trevor? Who's Trevor? He sounds peculiar."

            "I guess Trevor is peculiar sometimes," Spyro said. "He's just a year older than me and makes fun of Sparx and me nearly every chance he gets."

            "From what I heard, you saved all the dragons, even him."

            "That's right."

            "Then why does he make fun of you if you saved him?"     

            "He's always like that. Always been and always will be, I guess. I think it's because he thinks _he_ should have rescued the other dragons instead of me. He always thinks he should have all the glory."

            "Oh. There are dragons like that here, too."

            Sparx started flying toward them. He had a happy grin on his face. Suddenly, he thought back to the scene he had saw earlier. _Why were those dragons and unicorns looking for Charisma? _he pondered. _Maybe they want to make her a slave or something devious. And what are Spyro and Charisma talking about? Charisma looks like she's been upset by something. _He looked at Spyro. _I wonder if Charisma likes Spyro as much as he likes Charisma. They would make a cute couple. Maybe Charisma has too much on her mind right now to think about love. Maybe I could help them out while I'm here. If Spyro comforts her just the right way, she just might see the light. I'll just ask what's wrong. This is going to be interesting. _As soon as reached them, he started talking.

            "Hi guys! What's up?" Sparx said.

            "Oh nothing much," Spyro replied. "We were just talking about this and that. How was your meal? Catch a lot of butterflies?"

            "It was okay." He turned to Charisma. "Charisma! You look upset! What's wrong?"

            "Oh, it was just a nightmare I had last night. It was horrible! You guys were in chains, my fellow dragons were in cages, and I was being wed to the leader of the Black Dragons' son against my will! Spyro was trying really hard to get free, but a guard hit him really hard in the stomach. I think he passed out." She looked at Sparx. "And Sparx! You had lots of bruises and your wings were broken. It was so real! Maybe my mom was sending a message to me. I believe she used her magic to send me that message. That's how she makes messages if something important is going on or if she is bored in a meeting and talks to me. Maybe she heard what was going on and wanted to send me a warning. I guess she did it when the guards weren't paying attention. What are we going to do now?"

            She was on the verge of crying again and Spyro quickly tried to comfort her by telling her that everything was going to be all right and held her. That was what made Charisma see the light about Spyro. He was exactly like who she wanted. He was not like the other dragons she had met. Spyro was different and Sparx saw Charisma looking at Spyro a different way when they drew apart and he knew what that look meant. It meant love. _My plan worked! _ he thought happily. _Maybe I can be a quite good trickster in love in my spare time. _Then he thought about the dream. Just thinking of it made him shiver. _I hope that dream doesn't come true. We're going to have to work hard if we don't want the dream to come true._


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter 4

Rather short chapter…

            "You're going to have to look harder to find her!" a Black Unicorn yelled. He was calling out orders to a group of Black Unicorn soldiers. While our heroes were talking, the evil Black Unicorns and Dragons had divided into groups, searching everywhere across the Mystic Shadows World. Ripto, Rex, Brutus, and Devlin were already thinking about how they should bribe Charisma into marrying Devlin.  

            "I think we should get her mother and father and put them in very small cages and let her see what the torture they're going through. That way, she'll have to marry Devlin in order to free her parents from those small cages," Brutus suggested.

            "That's a really good plan, but how will we get her to see what's happening to them?" Ripto asked.

            "Easy," Devlin answered. "We'll just keep calling her name and say what's happening to them. If not, we could ask Melvelle to disguise as a Mystic Shadows dragon and put her in the quicksand we made and let her cry for help. We'll have a rope tied to her belly of course. When Charisma comes out, Melvelle will change into her regular self and the dragons will throw a net on her and grab her."

            "Good thinking, son!" Rex praised. "I like the quicksand idea the best. What about you guys?"  

            "That's a great idea, too," Ripto said.

            "What about my idea?" Brutus asked.

            "After we capture Charisma, we can use your plan with just a couple of changes," Devlin answered.

            "What changes?"

            "You know about that Darkness of Evil that came with us?"

            "Yeah," they answered. "So?"

            Devlin had an evil gleam in his eyes. "We'll show her what's happening to her fellow dragons. She'll have to agree." 

            "Oh, okay," Brutus said.

            "Let's put the plan into action!" Ripto cried.

            "We can't," Rex said.

            "Why not?" Ripto asked.

            " 'Cause it's too dark, Blockhead!" Rex said.

            "Who are you calling a Blockhead?!" Ripto shouted angrily.

            "Fellas! Fellas!" Devlin said, trying to keep them back. "We have to work together in order to succeed!"

            "You're right, son," Rex sighed. "Now lets get back. We need the rest." 

            Charisma and Spyro were taking a moonlit walk across the fields to see if there were any secret entrances or places Charisma hadn't found yet. Sparx was serving as a lookout near the entrance. They were laughing at the jokes they exchanged. There was a moment of pause as they took a short break.  __

_            I wonder if he knows I like him_, Charisma surmised.    

_            I wonder if she likes me. I definitely like her_, Spyro speculated.

            _I wonder if they like each other_, Sparx mused.

            Spyro tried to think of what to say to Charisma.  

            _Should I tell how much I like her?_ Spyro debated.

_            Should I tell how much I care about him?_  Charisma pondered.

            _Will they ever tell how much they like each other?_ Sparx wondered exasperated.

_            I'll wait a minute,_ Charisma and Spyro thought.

            Instead, they both said at once at the same time:

            "Spyro?"

            "Charisma?"

            "You go first," Spyro said.

            "No, you do," Charisma said.

            "Ladies first."

            "Okay."

            There was a pause.

            "Spyro?" Charisma asked.

            "Yes?" Spyro answered smiling, drawling out the word as if it had fifteen syllables. (is that possible? O.o;;; one rare comment throughout this whole fic as I'm rereading it .;;)

            Charisma giggled. "Do you like anybody? As a girlfriend, I mean."

            "No. Why?"

            She hesitated. "I . . . really . . . like you," she stammered. "A lot." 

            Spyro was staring at her in disbelief.

            "You do?"

            She blushed.

            "Yeah. When you showed how much you cared, I realized _who_ you were. What were you going to say?"

            "The same thing, too. I knew you were the right one from the start and the longer I've known you, the more I liked you." (yeah it's easy for him to admit it since she went first ¬¬)

            They stood there, looking at each other, thinking their own thoughts.

    _        He actually likes me for who I am! _Charisma thought happily.__

_            She likes me! She _really_ likes me! Wait 'til Sparx hears about this! _Spyro thought excitedly.

At that same moment, Sparx saw something not very good. He quickly flew away to find the others.  

            "Guys! I think we're in trouble! I saw a group of Black Unicorns searching around the secret entrance!" Sparx exclaimed when he found them.

            "What!" Spyro cried. "Lets go back to the entrance!"

            They raced across the field to the entrance. Sure enough, a couple of Black Unicorns were looking around.

            "Everyone stand still!' Spyro whispered. "And be very quiet." 

            "Well, they're not around here. Let's hit the hay," one of the unicorns said.

            They watched them leave.

            "That was close!" Charisma cried once they were out of sight.

            "Yeah," Spyro said. "We should follow that Black Unicorn's idea and get some sleep. It's been a long day."

            They headed back to their little quarters. Spyro turned red when Charisma kissed him good night and Sparx laughed at him. One by one they fell a sleep.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter 5

ARGGH!! TABBING!!! TOO MUCH @_@

            At dawn, the Black Dragons and Unicorns were setting up their evil trap.

            "You know what to do, right Melvelle?" Devlin asked.

            "Yeah, yeah," she answered impatiently.

            She changed into dragon right then and there.  

            "Perfect!" Ripto cried.

            "Okay, let's rehearse," Rex said.

            Thirty minutes later, they were ready.

            "When shall we start, son?" Rex asked.

            "In ten minutes."

            Ten minutes later, Charisma, Spyro, and Sparx woke up to a cry.

            "What was that?" a sleepy Sparx asked.

            Spyro, on the other hand, was wide-awake and knew what it was.

            "It was a cry for help, Sparx," Spyro answered.

            At the word "help," Charisma instantly got up. As a princess, she was taught to save anyone who needed saving.

            "I must help that . . . whoever is calling. It's my duty," Charisma said.

            "Charisma, no!" Spyro cried. "It could be a trap. We can't risk that chance. If it is, they could catch you and . . ." He left his sentence hang in the air.

            "I have to Spyro. Even if it is a trap, I can't break the Royal Dragon rules. Please understand. You can stay behind me."

            "Fine," he relented.

            At the second cry of help, the trio left in search of the creature calling for help.

            "Help!" the voice yelled.

            "Where are you?" Charisma cried.

            "Over here!"

            They soon saw a dragon sinking in quicksand. She was thrashing about, only making her sink faster. Charisma saw the danger and told her to stop thrashing. Charisma then emerged from her hiding place. 

            "Oh thank you princessss!" the dragon said with a hissing sound. Then she transformed into her original catlike form.

            "Melvelle!" Charisma exclaimed. Suddenly, nets were flying everywhere. They were fast, but Charisma was faster. Spyro tried to help her, but Sparx held him back. That little dragonfly was actually stronger than you think. Then, Devlin himself appeared, almost making Charisma run into him. She also had good brakes.

            "Well, well, well," Devlin said, "isn't it my bride to be."

            Charisma's face turned pale, and so did Spyro's and Sparx's.

            "Never! I'll never marry you!"

            She tried to run away, but Rex was behind her and grabbed her.

            "Spyro!" Charisma cried as she was being carried off to Black Unicorns' and Dragons' lair.  Of course she didn't do this without a fight. The others were so busy laughing they didn't hear her cries. Spyro heard her though.

            "Charisma!" Sparx couldn't keep his grip, so he let Spyro go. By that time, she was almost gone from view. (oh no!)

            "Spyro!" Charisma's cry was barely heard.

            "Charisma! Come on Sparx, we must go after her!"

            "No can do Spyro.  Not right this minute, anyway. We'd better go back to the  . . . uh-oh."

            "What?"

            "We don't know the magic words do we?"

            "Well, Charisma taught me them last night. I think I can do it." (how convenient .)

            They walked to the entrance.

            Spyro murmured the magic words and the entrance was revealed. The rest of the day, they discussed on what they should do.

            Meanwhile, at the Black Unicorns and Dragons' lair, Devlin put Charisma in the dungeon until they could figure out where they could put her where she could not escape. The dungeon was actually made roomy for her. They had put in straw for a bed, a mirror, a sink, bookshelves, and some food. The walls were sky blue. There was even a light on the ceiling. It didn't look like a dungeon if you excluded the wooden door with bars at the top, the barred window, and the chains. 

            "This is where you will stay," Devlin told her. "Until we fix up a room for you, of course."

            "Why thank you," she said sarcastically.

            Devlin closed the door behind him. Charisma slowly looked about the room. She went to the window and tried to destroy the bars with her flame. It didn't melt or gave a sign of it at all. It just made her throat hurt a little for blowing so hard. She threw herself upon the straw and started crying softly.

            _How will I ever get out of here? I hope Spyro and Sparx can get me out,_ she thought.

            At that very moment, Spyro and Sparx were desperately trying to think of a way to get Charisma free again.

            "Maybe we could sneak over there at night," Sparx suggested.     

            "How will we see? Besides, those Black Unicorns and Dragons would blend in the foliage even if we could find some light," Spyro argued.

            They thought some more.

            "Hey Spyro?" Sparx asked.

            "What?"

            "What about that clay of yours? Do you think we could cover ourselves in it with you black and me red?"

            "Sparx! You're brilliant! I think I have just enough. There's just one problem."

            "What?"

            "How will you know who's who?"

            "Simple. Your mane, wings, and horns. Your wings and horns are shaped a little differently and your mane is a little shorter. Besides, I'll be a little above you. I'll quickly fly higher if you encounter any other dragons."

            "Okay."

            They quickly put on the clay and colored themselves with some dye.

            "Ready?" Spyro asked.

            "Ready," Sparx said.

            They quietly left the field and exited the cave. They went to the quicksand pit and followed the path the Black Unicorns and Dragons took when they captured Charisma. Spyro quickened his pace when he saw the top of the lair.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter 6

Rather loooong chapter o.O…WHICH MEANS A LOT OF TABBING ARGH!

            "Hello my future queen," Devlin said.  

            By that time, Charisma had freshened up a bit. She quickly turned away from him and walked toward the window.

            "What do you want?" she asked hotly.

            "What are you mad about? Anyway, I came to tell you that my father wished to see you and speak with you." He took a step toward her.

            "Don't come any closer," she warned him.

            "Fine, fine. Have you changed your mind about being my wife or my girlfriend for that matter?"

            "You captured my parents, put away the others, ruined Mystic Shadows, and you ask me to be your wife?" She nearly screamed out the words as she whirled around to face him. "What kind of dragon are you?! You and your kind are a disgrace and yet you're proud of it! My answer is still N-O, NO! But, to make you happy, I'll speak with your father. Now leave!" Her eyes were blazing like fire, full of hatred and anger. (whoo don't want make this dragon mad o.O wonder how Spyro will be….)

            Devlin, awed by her beauty and her bravery to speak like that, obediently left. He went to his dad to tell him that she would come.

            "Bring her here in twenty minutes," Rex said.

            "Yes, sir. By the way, aren't we going to have a party tomorrow night?"

            "Yes. Charisma is our guest of honor. When you come to bring her to me, tell her all about it and that she must come. If not, something horrible might happen to her parents."

            "Come on, Sparx!" Spyro said impatiently. "I think I see her window over there! We'd better hurry!"

            They quickly went to her window. They peered in through the window. Inside was a sleeping Charisma. It looked like she had been crying.

            "Charisma!" Spyro whispered.

            "Spyro?" Charisma answered sleepily.

            "And Sparx!" Sparx piped in.

            Now more awake, Charisma went to the window.

            "How did you get here?" Charisma whispered.

            "We passed by with our disguises. Since there is no sun, the clay can't harden," Spyro explained. "Enough about us. What have they done to you?"

            "Well, nothing so far. I was really quite surprised to see my room like this," she pointed with her paw. "I'm going to speak with Devlin's fa-"

            "Who's Devlin?" Spyro interrupted.

            "He's the one I'm supposed to marry, that is, according to them, and the one who planned all this. Anyway, I'm supposed to meet with his father soon to talk with him." She stopped. "Shh! Listen!" she whispered.

            Footsteps were coming toward the door.

            "Come back later tonight. Now go!" she whispered.

            Without any further encouragement, Spyro and Sparx departed quickly. Charisma quickly grabbed a book, lied down on the straw, and started reading. She heard the door open but kept on reading.

            "My father would like to speak with you now," Devlin said.

            Obediently, Charisma got up and followed him. Dragon guards surrounded her on three sides. She followed him through a corridor with a door at the end. While they were walking, Devlin explained about the party.

            "You must come for three reasons. The first reason is that it will be fun. The second is that you're our guest of honor. The last is if you don't, something might happen to some innocent dragons." He turned to her. "Enough with the reasons. Let me fill you in on what's going to happen. There will be other dragons and unicorns, refreshments, contests, etc. You really should come," he added looking deeply into her eyes.  

            She quickly turned away from him and told him, "I'll think about it. I have one favor to ask you, though."

            "What?"

            "That I could go outside tomorrow."

            Devlin considered this favor and said, "All right, I'll grant your wish."

            They had reached the door and Devlin escorted her in. Candles and torches lit the room. There were a couple of paintings, chairs (for the dragons), a desk, a table, and books. It wasn't very big or spacious. It was about the size of an ordinary den. Once Charisma was inside, Devlin closed the door behind him. Charisma searched for Rex in the dim room. She found him reading in the middle of a rug close to a window.

            "You wanted to see me?" Charisma asked.

            "Yes." Rex closed the book and told her to come to him. "I just wanted to make sure that you are all nice and comfy in your makeshift room."

            "It's okay."

            "Good. Has my son told you about the party tomorrow night?"

            "Yes."

            "Will you attend? We hope you do."

            "I'm still thinking about it. When will it be?"

            "At 8:00."

            "I'll give you my answer ten minutes _after_ I'm in my room."

            "Deal. Well, that's all I wanted to know. You may go now. Devlin will escort you to your room."

            She wasn't surprised when she saw Devlin was right by the door when she came out. What did surprise her was that there were no guards. The corridor was empty except for those two.

            "Are you ready?" Devlin asked.

            "Yes," Charisma said.

            For a moment they were silent. Charisma was looking straight ahead while Devlin kept glancing at her.

            "What do you want?" Charisma asked icily.

            He turned away.  

            "Nothing. Nothing at all."

            "Then why do you keep glancing at me? You must want to say something or are you like the other dragons who want to win my heart?"

            "No, no. It's just that you're so beautiful and that I admire you-"

            "Admire me?" she said incredulously. "That's a new one." She looked at him. "Why don't you marry someone else? There are other beautiful dragon princesses out there somewhere with bigger land. Why me?"

            "Because you're different. You're just . . .different. Anyway, you are commanded to go to the party."

            "What?!" she yelled. "I thought _I_ would decide if I wanted to go or not!"

            "Ripto's orders. Don't worry. You'll have lots of fun."

            She didn't say anything. They were quiet until they reached her door. Devlin unlocked it and opened it for her. She went inside without another word. He closed the door and went away. Charisma went to the window. She searched for Spyro and Sparx. She looked high and low and found them in the low area. They were silently dozing under the window.  

            "Spyro! Sparx!" she whispered.

            They didn't even stir. She tried poking them with some straw. After several more attempts, they finally awoke. She told them what was going on and about the party.

            "What should I do? If I don't go, my parents would be in danger and if I do go, it could be the end of my freedom!"

            "Cool your jets! We got to think this logically," Sparx said (yeah you tell her! O). "First of all, you were commanded to go. So you really have no choice." He thought for a moment. "Couldn't we go with you? I mean, since the guests are mainly Black Dragons, couldn't Spyro go in and I try to find a way that I won't be seen?"

            "Well, I don't know . . . wait! Sparx! Couldn't you find a red flower and hide in it while I wear it?" Charisma asked.

            "I could, but where can I find a red flower? The only place I can think of is back at the field. Question is, how do we get it?"

            They look at him.

            "Me and my big mouth!" (mwahahaha)

            "Oh, come on, Sparx!" Spyro said. "It won't be so bad! There won't be any danger! Besides, you could get a tasty butterfly snack. All you have to do is to fly quickly back to the field, get a beautiful flower, and quickly fly back. The plan would be almost finished. You don't really need to know the magic words for the secret entrance, do you? You could easily fly over the walls."

            "True," Sparx answered, "but what if the clay hardens when I'm in the air? Wouldn't I get really hurt?"

            "A little magic could help you on that," Charisma said to him. "Now just stay still. I'm not sure if I can do this."

            "What happens if you don't do it correctly?" Sparx asked hesitantly.

            "Oh, you'd probably turn into a toad, a molecule, dust, or something," she answered.

            Sparx turned pale and fainted dead away. (.)

            "Well, that's still enough," Charisma said. "I'll try the spell and then we'll wake him up."

            Luckily for Sparx, the spell worked. They woke him up and Sparx breathed a sigh of relief that he was in one piece. 

            "Where did you learn your magic?" Spyro asked curiously.

            "My parents and my advisor, Darion, taught me."

            Out of nowhere, the sound of hooves marching came to them.

            "Uh oh. You guys better hide before they find you," Charisma advised them.

            They quickly climbed up a nearby tree that still had leaves, although they were black. _A perfect hiding place!_ Spyro thought. They silently watched the black unicorns march by in synchronized form. Every so often, one would look suspiciously at the tree. Then he would just shrug and walk on. Once the troop passed the tree, Spyro gave Sparx a nudge and Sparx took to the sky. He flew as he had never flew before. He covered the 1 mile distance in 10 seconds, picked the most beautiful flower in 10 seconds, and came back in 10 seconds. He came back in 30 seconds flat. 

            "Wow! That was really fast Sparx!" Charisma exclaimed. When she didn't hear an answer, she looked at him. "Sparx? Sparx?"

            Sparx was dozing away. That trip had made him really tired (no duh). They decided to let him sleep on Crystal's bed while they figured out a plan.

            "So when's the party?" Spyro asked.

            "At 8:00 tomorrow night. Tomorrow afternoon I'll have a chance to be outside and maybe talk to you."

            "I can't wait! To see you, I mean. Let's take a look at that flower Sparx picked."

            The flower was the most beautiful flower in the world. It went perfectly with Charisma's mane.

            "You are going to look great tomorrow night," Spyro said softly.

            "I hope so. I also hope I'll be able to talk with you at the party."

            Spyro blushed deep red. He looked deeply into her eyes and –

            "Look out!" Sparx cried out. They looked at him in surprise. They were relieved that he was just talking in his sleep.

            "Does Sparx sleepfly?" Charisma asked. 

            "I don't think so," Spyro answered.

            "Oh." She paused when she heard something. "Uh-oh. I hear footsteps. Here, take Sparx. See you later, I hope," she added. Spyro swiftly put Sparx on his head and hid in the bushes. Charisma hid the flower and picked up a book.  

            She heard the door open and said, "Hi," without looking up from her book.

            "Hisssss majesssssty would like to sssssee you now," a serpent servant said.

            "Tell him I'm coming," she answered.

            "No need. He'ssssss here."

            Charisma looked up from her book and saw him in the doorway. "What do you want?"

            "I am here to give you a tour of our humble home," he answered. "So if you just follow me . . ."

            Charisma unwillingly followed him and tried to make the best of it. _Maybe I'll find a secret entrance or passage that Spyro could get to and rescue me_, she thought. She kept a sharp lookout for any cracks along the walls and tried to see if some torch handles might open a secret passage when Devlin wasn't looking. 

            It was getting near the end of the tour and Charisma was frustrated. _What am I going to do now? So far, there isn't one secret passage, not even a trap door!_ As if on cue, Devlin pushed a button on the floor and a hidden staircase was revealed.

            "Where does it lead to?" Charisma asked curiously.

            "Follow me."

            As they descended down the stairs, a light at the bottom started to glow and grew stronger as they neared the bottom.

            "Just a little farther," Devlin informed her.

            They soon came to the bottom and Charisma gasped at what she saw.

            "Why, we're outside! But it's beautiful out here!"

            Indeed it was. Flowers bloomed, butterflies flew, and there even was a pond in the center. A large glass dome surrounded it. Charisma started to take a step through the door but stopped when she saw something.

            "What's that over there between the trees?" she asked. She pointed to a dragon looking statue.

            "Him? That's the gardener."

            "Oh. He's so still, you'd think he was a statue."

            "Yeah. He's always like that when he's looking for something." He turned to her. "You can go in if you want. You can also come here anytime you like. You just have to tell me first."

            "Is this where I'll be going tomorrow?"

            "Outside? No. This is where the party will be. The place where you can really stretch your legs is right outside your window."

            "In that great big field?"

            "That's the one."

            _Whew! If it was here, I might not be able to see Spyro, _she thought relieved._ I wonder why this is in a dome?_

As if reading her mind, Devlin said, "The reason why this is in a dome, it's because Dad wanted to protect a little bit of green. He asked Melvelle to create a shield that protected it from the outside."

            _Amazing,_ Charisma thought. _I thought her magic could only do evil things._

            "Well that's the end of our tour. I'll escort you to your room."

            "Will I ever be able to walk around here by myself?" Charisma asked.

            "Once we are sitting side by side in the throne room."

            They were at Charisma's door. Devlin opened the door and once she was inside, Charisma slammed the door behind her right on Devlin's face.

            "I think she's starting to like me," Devlin said to himself.

            Charisma, however, was hating him even more. "How dare he! Still thinks I'm going to marry him, huh? Well I'll show him! I'm going to marry Spyro instead!" (o.O) The minute she said that she blushed and looked to see if anyone heard. Her face turned a really bright shade of pink when she saw Spyro and Sparx looking at her with their jaws dropped and eyes wide open. (dun dun dun .)

            Spyro was the first one to regain his composure. "We heard you yelling and came to see what was going on," he said. (who knows what's going in his read right now o.o; shocker .;;)                 

            "Um, I'm fine now," she stammered. She walked over to them and said, "I tried looking for trap doors when Devlin gave me a tour of this place. There was only one, but it leads to this beautiful field that Devlin's father had reserved. That's where the party is going to be," she added. "It's surrounded by this glass dome that keeps it from withering away like the rest of the world." A look of sadness crossed her face, but then it left. "Tomorrow, I'll be waiting outside about where you are now." She looked at the sky. "I think it would be best if we went to bed. It's getting darker and there won't be a moon out tonight." She gave Spyro a little kiss on the cheek and Sparx gave her a hug. Sparx had to get off Spyro's back because he was so red and hot.  (XD)

            When Spyro turned back to his regular color, he said, "See you tomorrow, then." Then they all said goodnight. Charisma went to her bed while Spyro and Sparx went to the bush they had hid in earlier and went to sleep.


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter 7

            "No!"

            Spyro and Sparx woke with a start.

            "What was that?" Sparx asked.

            "I think it was Charisma," Spyro answered worriedly and hurried toward Charisma's window. Sparx followed him. They found Charisma tossing and turning in her bed screaming.

            "No! You'll never take me alive!" she screamed. She was thrashing around as if she was fighting something. Spyro and Sparx tried to wake her up.

            "Charisma! Wake up! You're having another nightmare!" they cried.

            "Spyro!" Her eyes shot open and she quickly stood up. She was covered with sweat, had this terrified look in her eyes, and she was shaking from horror.

            "Charisma, are you all right?" Spyro asked worriedly.

            "I'm okay, now that you're here," she said shakily.

            "What happened, did you have another nightmare?" Sparx asked concerned.

            "Yes, and I didn't like it. Not one bit."

            "Well, we can _see_ that," Sparx said impatiently. Charisma glared at him. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

            "I'd feel better if you were in here with me," she continued, "but this will have to do. Well, it started out as a nice day. Spyro and I were playing tag in the fields. Only it was that field behind you and it was like none of this horrible stuff had ever happened. But suddenly, the sky turned black and the ground erupted beneath us. That's when you came in, Sparx," she said turning to him. "You speedily flew toward us and tried to tell us where to go when this power beam came out of nowhere and you disappeared."  

            Sparx turned white. "I think I'm going to be sick."

            "Hang in there, buddy," Spyro told him a little shakily.  

            "You were trying to reach me, Spyro," she continued, "but the ground split in two with me on one side and you on the other. It rapidly grew wider so you couldn't glide over. We kept on running along the side to see if there was a place narrow enough for you to glide over. We suddenly heard this evil laugh followed by thunder and lightning. The ground turned red and started to part and rise.  We were calling each other and screaming. We heard your voice, Sparx, in the wind. We finally found a narrow opening and Spyro tried to glide over. At first, it seemed like you were going to make it, Spyro, but the chasm suddenly grew wider and you only got the edge. You clung to it and tried to climb up. I tried to help with my magic, but it wouldn't work. You were starting to slip and –" She burst into tears. "– and you lost your grip and fell! I was screaming, and that's probably when you first heard me. I was suddenly lifted up to the sky and Devlin appeared. He had this evil grin on his face. I was moving against my will and tried to run away. That's when I called for Spyro and when you woke me up." She started crying harder and they tried to comfort her. (what a really…badly created dream I made…)

            "Don't cry, Charisma! We're here to protect you, especially Spyro," Sparx added teasingly. Spyro blushed.

            "He's right, you know," Spyro said. "We will do everything we can to prevent Devlin from marrying you."

            "Thanks, Spyro," Charisma said. "I wonder what we will do at the party," she said, trying to change the subject.

            "Do you think we can pull this plan off?" Sparx asked nervously.

            "Of course we can!" Spyro declared. "We can do anything if we have faith and put our minds to it."

            "Spyro's right," Charisma said, already calming down. She was about to say something else but stopped when she heard footsteps again.  

            "We'll be waiting here," Spyro whispered, then they hurried toward the bushes. Charisma once again picked up a book and started reading. _I must have read this page a hundred times! _she thought.

            Her door opened and Devlin came in, unaware of what had happened.

            "Ready to stretch your legs?" he said brightly.

            "Are you going to watch my every move?" she asked suspiciously.

            "Nah! I trust you enough."

            "Okay then, I'm ready."

            "Follow me."

They exited the lair and entered the field. "This is where you can romp around and have fun," he told her. "Just call if you need me."

            Charisma waited until he had returned inside and looked around. Finding the area clear of guards, she looked around for Spyro and Sparx. They were in the bushes in front of her room dozing away again. They were both curled up together and seemed very comfortable.

            _They always seem to be asleep when I'm looking for them. _She looked at them. _Spyro looks cute when he's asleep. Sparx must be glad to have him beside him to keep warm. I almost hate to wake them up. Almost, that is!_

            She started to nudge them lightly. When that didn't work, she started poking Spyro in the head. At first nothing happened. Than, when Charisma started poking him harder, he started to stir. He opened one eye and, recognizing Charisma, started to get up. This woke Sparx up. (dang they're hard sleepers aren't they? O.o)

            "Hi, Charisma," Sparx said sleepily.

            "Up and at 'um sleepyheads!" Charisma commanded loudly. "We have an hour to have some fun!"

            Spyro, fully awake now, started to stretch his legs and walked around. "What should we do first?" he asked.

            "How about a game of . . . tag?" Charisma suggested.

            "Okay, now I'm awake," Sparx said. "Who's going to be It first?"

            They both looked at him.

            Sparx groaned. "Okay. I'm IT, but you better watch out!" Sparx exclaimed.

*                *                *

            What they didn't know, however, was that Devlin was watching them. Rex and Ripto were with him. Brutus was checking the guest list.

            "Who are they, Devlin?" Rex asked.

            "I don't know. Ripto, do you know?"

            "That dragon looks familiar, so does that little dragonfly." He paused for a moment, then turned red with rage. 

            "That's that stupid dragon I told you about! Spyro! And his little friend, Sparx!"

            "What?!" Devlin and Rex exclaimed.

            "I'm sure of it! The way he grins and charges. That's just how he did it! He destroyed Crush and Gulp! _RAAAHHH_!"

            "Cool your jets, Ripto!" Rex commanded. "What should we do now, Devlin?" Rex asked, looking at him. "We know for sure that he is here to help the dragons."

            "Wait until the party," he answered, an evil grin creeping up his face. "That's when we'll catch him."

*               *               *

            Back at the field, Charisma, Spyro, and Sparx were resting from a very tiring game of tag.       

            "That was a lot of fun!" Spyro exclaimed breathlessly. "I haven't played tag in a long time!"

            "Really? When was the last time you two played tag?" Charisma asked him curiously.

            "I don't know. Sparx, do you know?"

            "I think it was before we kicked Gnasty Gnorc's butt. I think."

            "Really?! You never played tag after that?!"

            "Yep," they said together.      

            "Wow. You guys seemed like you played tag forever!"

            "It may be because I chased a lot of sheep and bad guys on my adventures," Spyro said.

            "And I chased the butterflies that came from the sheep," Sparx answered.

            "Butterflies? Coming from sheep?" Charisma asked incredulously.

            "Yep," they both said.

            "Now I've heard everything!"

            They sat there, contented and filled with happiness. They thought about the things that are going to happen and the things that had happened. A peaceful silence enveloped them.

            Breaking the silence, Spyro said, "I just had a thought."

            They looked at him expectantly.

            "At the party, I won't be able to dance with you, Charisma."

            "Oh Spyro! Only you! Only you!" Sparx exclaimed laughing. 

            Spyro blushed. "Well it's true! I won't be able to do anything! For all we know, a big fat dragon would want me to dance with her!"

            They all broke out laughing.

            When they stopped laughing, Charisma said, "I'll make a deal. I won't have fun or dance if you stop complaining. Deal?"

            "Deal."

            "Speaking of the party," Sparx said thoughtfully, "what _are_ we going to do while we're there?"

            "_I_ stand on the sidelines and watch what goes on while _you _stay hidden in Charisma's flower and eavesdrop on anything you hear, especially if Devlin makes Charisma dance."

            "Sounds simple enough," he reasoned. Then he started blurting questions. "How will you get into the party, Spyro? What if they try to check you? What if they can tell that you're not really black? What if you get caught? What if this plan doesn't work? What if –"

            "Enough already!" Spyro interrupted laughing. "We get the message! I'll be extra careful. Don't worry so much, you worry-wort. How can this go wrong? What's the worst that can happen?"

            "Us getting caught and being tortured like in Charisma's first dream," he answered.

            "Don't remind me!" Charisma groaned. "I had enough nightmares as it is." She looked at the sky. "I think I better get ready. It's almost dark." She turned to Spyro. "You promise you'll be able to make it?" she asked Spyro.

            "Of course," he promised.

            "Well, I guess the only thing left is to take Sparx with me. Meet me by the window, okay?"

            "Better yet, I'll walk you to your window and then hide in the bushes."

            "Okay. Just keep a look out for the other guests and follow them." They had reached the window. "Well, see you later." Sparx hopped inside and Spyro went to the bushes and hid.


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter 8

            "Got any sevens?" Ripto asked.

            "Go fish," Brutus answered.

            "Brutus! Ripto! Get this place set up!" Devlin yelled.

            They were at the garden and it was an hour before the guests were supposed to arrive. Not a single decoration was hung nor were the tables set up. This was making Devlin very angry.  He had come in expecting to see the party ready or at least almost finished. Instead, he had found Ripto and Brutus playing Go Fish.

            "Boss!" they yelled at once. They lost their balance as they bolted out of their seats, so playing cards flew everywhere. They quickly picked them up. All this time, Devlin shook his head sadly.  

            "You two should be more responsible. I should fire you. Oh well. You two are fun to be with, in a way. Who else can I count on? Anyway, the guests will be arriving soon so you better hurry up. Remember. We need to show a  certain dragon that we can be nice. Make sure you make it so that Spyro can be caught.  See you later." With a toss of his tail, he left them to their jobs.  __

After he was back inside the castle, and out of sight of the others, he walked through the hallways, making sure that all the trap doors were invisible. _I hope our plan on catching Spyro will work,_ Devlin thought worriedly. _That little purple dragon can cause a lot of trouble. How else am I supposed to succeed in marrying Charisma if he gets in the way? _ Then a horrible thought crossed his mind. _What if Charisma loves Spyro, and Spyro loves her, and tries to rescue her while the matrimony is going on? What if he is stealing _my _girlfriend? _He stopped in front of the wall and hit his head against it. _Why didn't I think of this before? No wonder Charisma was so close to him._ A look of hatred came across his face. _I'll teach him to mess with my girl! Just wait until he comes to the party tonight! He'll be surprised when the next he knows, he's in chains! _  (whoa…getting a little jealous? .)

            At the thought of this, he silently laughed to himself, only to be cut short when he heard a knocking at the front door. He quickly sent a dragon guard nearby on patrol to open it. A sound of laughter and voices came to him.

            "Frederick! Darling! How good it is to see you!" a female voice said.

            "And how nice it is to see you, too, Matilda," the guard answered shyly.

            By this time, Rex had come by to see that the guests are welcome and to show the way.

            "Ah!  Mr. and Mrs. Horacio!" he exclaimed. "How good it is to see you from the Dark Valley. Please, please come in! I want you to meet my son, Devlin. Devlin! The first of our guests have arrived!"

            "Are we the first to arrive?" Mr. Horacio asked surprised. He was a big dragon with ivory horns, sharpened just enough to injure someone, but not to kill anyone in case something happened.

            "Yes, you are."

            Devlin finally arrived and Mr. and Mrs. Horacio made all the little comments that all adults make on children they haven't seen in a long time.

            "I'm sure all the female dragons fall over you for you being so handsome!" Mrs. Horacio exclaimed. "The last time I saw you, you were only a hatchling!"  

            _Oh, brother! _ Devlin thought. "Excuse me, there is some business I need to attend to." With a quick nod, he left them and headed toward Charisma's room.

            "Are you ready, Sparx? Devlin will be here any minute." 

            Charisma was hurrying about her room, worrying about this and that and getting ready simultaneously. She was wearing a crystal amulet on a chain around her neck.

            "Don't worry so much, Charisma. You heard Spyro say the plan was fool proof! What could go wrong?" Sparx said.

            "Lots of things!" she cried.

            "Name them."

            "You could get caught, it could be a trap, Devlin might try to steal me, and . . . lots of things!"

            "Come on, Charisma! You got to have faith in us!" Sparx exclaimed as he climbed into the flower.

            "All right," she relented. "Get in the flower and if I dance with Devlin, go as far back of the flower as you can and hold on tight."

            The door opened. "Are you ready, my dear?" Devlin asked in a sweet voice.

            "I am," she answered. "Oh, and Devlin?"

            "Yes?"

            "My name is Charisma." With a swish of her tail, she trotted out the door.

            "Not . . . so . . . bump-y!" Sparx whispered.

            "I'll try," she answered.

            "Hey, Charisma! Wait up!" Devlin yelled.

            With a sigh, she stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Hurry up."

            "If you're going to marry me -"

            "I'm N-O-T, NOT going to marry you," she said icily.

            "Anyway, we're supposed to come in together."

            "Must we?"

            "Yes."

            Charisma gave another sigh. _Will he ever give up?!_ she thought annoyed.

            The party was just beginning when they entered. The once quiet field was turned into a giant, lit up ballroom. Everyone was talking and getting some refreshments. Everyone turned their heads when Devlin and Charisma came in.

            "My! What a beautiful dragon!" the guests gasped.

            "What's her name?" some others asked to themselves.

            _Where is he?_ Charisma wondered, searching for Spyro.

            "I think he's by the refreshment stand," Sparx whispered when Devlin was talking to some guests.

            "How did you know I was looking for him?" she whispered back.

            "One, I saw you looking around. Two, I'm so close to your brain, I can actually hear what you're thinking."

            "Okay, lets see if you can tell what I'm thinking now."

     But before she could do that, Devlin had turned back to her.  

            "Do you want any refreshments?" he asked.

            _Perfect!  _she thought happily. "Sure."

            They walked toward the table and got some punch and cake. While she was there, she looked around to find Spyro. _This is going to be harder than I thought!_

            At the same time, Spyro was looking for her and thinking the same thing. _I know I saw her come over here! It's not supposed to be that hard to find the only yellow dragon around._ Of course, there were a couple of dragons that were not black. There were also some servants to some of the other guests that came and they were also yellow or another color. _Great. There had to be some look alikes. At least there are other purple dragons. I was getting worried for a moment when the black clay came off._ He had ran into a door on his way up and the clay had shattered. He had swept it under the carpet when no one was looking. Just then, an attractive dragon came up to him.

            "Would you like to dance?" she asked sweetly.

            For the first time, Spyro noticed that music was playing and the dance he was being asked to dance was a slow one. He gulped. _Oh well. Maybe I'll see Charisma on the dance floor._ "Sure," he answered hesitantly.

            She smiled and they went to the dance floor. He was glad when he finally saw Charisma on the dance floor, too, but quickly got angry when he saw Devlin. _Don't worry Charisma. We'll get you out_, he vowed.

            "So what's your name?" his partner asked.

            He panicked. "You tell me yours first."

            "Why?"

            "It's more polite."

            "Donna."

            "Do I know you?" Spyro asked her. "Your name sounds very familiar." He thought hard. "Have you ever heard of the Artisan Dragon world?"

            "Actually yes, _Spyro_," she answered him, emphasizing his name.

            He was startled. "Um uh I think you are mistaken," he said nervously.

            "You can't fool me, so don't try it! I won't tell anyone you know."

            "Uh…" _Guess I'll have to trust her…but what if it's Melvelle? Damn! Gotta trust anyway if I'm ever gonna get to Charisma!_ (I added that part . only place where he cusses . I think o.O) "Well how do you k

            "Ever since you freed me from that crystalized cage, I tried to find out how to show you my gratitude."

            "All you had to do was just come up and say thanks."

            "Oh, I know better way to show my thanks," she said dreamily, looking into his eyes.  By then, the song had ended and Spyro knew what was going to happen.

            "Uh, we'd better get off the floor so the others can dance," he said quickly while pulling away.

            "I guess you're right," she said disappointedly. Then, she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and walked toward some friends. He was stunned.

            "Whew!" he muttered after he was back to normal. "Now I got two girls going after me, and one I like. Being a hero is tough!" He went by the trees and laid on the grass, waiting for Charisma and trying to be as far away from Donna as possible.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter 9

            "So what do you think of the party so far?" Devlin asked.

            "It's okay," she said with a sigh. "Would you mind if I danced with other boys around here?"

            Devlin thought about this concept and whether or not if it could go with his plan on capturing Spyro. _Of course! _he thought glancing at Charisma who was looking for Spyro. _If she dances with _him_, I'll know who Spyro is and will be able to throw him into the dungeon. Then there will be nothing to stop my evil plans! Am I good or what? _ He grinned and turned to Charisma.

            "Sure. Just as long as you stay within my sight."

            "What are you?! My protector or something?!" she said exasperated. 

            "No. I'm just looking after your well being."

            "Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes and searched for someone to dance with.

            _Now where is Spyro? Should I dance with him now or later?_ she pondered. 

            "I think you should dance with some others and then dance with Spyro," Sparx whispered. Never dance with him first or last. I don't trust Devlin. He gave in too easily. I think he's on to us."

            "Oh dear," Charisma said in alarm. "I hope he's not too suspicious. Well I'd better _think_ of what I want to say instead of saying them aloud."

            "Don't worry. We'll be fi-" 

            He stopped whispering when he saw something. Actually, _someone_.

            "Do I see, who I think see?" he asked himself.

            _See who? _Charisma thought to him.

            "It is!" he exclaimed softly.

            _Who is?_ Charisma thought impatiently.

            "I wonder if she asked Spyro to dance with her," he mused.

            _Who asked Spyro to dance?!_ She was starting to get really annoyed and she yelled really loud, "**Tell me!**" (whoa-ho o.O jealously factor rising .;)

            Everyone turned to stare at her. She blushed and said, "Uh, there's no problem here! I was just thinking about a conversation I had back home." She gave a little laugh and everyone went back to what they were doing. _How humiliating!_ she thought embarrassed.         

            "So what was the conversation about?" a familiar voice asked behind her. She turned around to see a grinning Spyro.

            "Spyro!" she whispered fiercely. "What happened to your disguise?"

            "I, uh, ran into a door on my way up here," he said blushing.

            "Spyro!" Sparx said laughing. "Just be glad there are others that look like you."

            "Why don't you call me Asher until this is over?" Spyro suggested. "That way, they won't suspect I'm here that easily."

            "Good idea, buddy!" Sparx praised.

            "Now that we got that settled, why don't you tell who you were dancing with?" Charisma asked impatiently.

            "Was it who I think I saw?" Sparx asked curiously.

            "Who do you think it is?" Spyro asked.

            "Donna," he said confidently.

            "Your right," Spyro said with a sigh. "She knew it was me. I wasn't sure who she was at first. I only knew that she looked familiar. Then she told me her name. She told me that she adored me and I think she tried to kiss me, but that was when the song was over. I quickly drew away and she sighed, but I know she might try again."

            "Who's Donna?" Charisma asked curiously.

            "She's this gorgeous dragon that Spyro never really pays attention to," Sparx informed Charisma. "She's that light green dragon over there." He pointed toward a little group of dragons by the refreshment table. There was Donna, standing in the center of the group, her friends talking to her, obviously in deep discussion. Sparx saw Charisma getting a little worried.

            "I wouldn't worry too much, Charisma," Sparx said just loud enough for Spyro to hear. "Spyro only has his eyes on you." Charisma and Spyro started turning red, Spyro the most. 

            Out of the corner of his eye, Sparx saw Devlin approaching them.

            "Uh-oh. Trouble is coming. Better get away from here Spyro, um, I mean _Asher_," Sparx said teasingly. "Devlin is coming this way."

            Devlin hadn't spotted Spyro yet, so Spyro took the chance and went to the other side of the field, staying in the big crowds.

            "Hi, Devlin," Charisma said with a sigh.

            "Hey. Found anyone you want to dance with yet?" he asked. "Hmmmmm?"

            _I think he's suspicious_, Charisma thought.

            "I think he's knows!" Sparx whispered frightened.

            _Okay, we'll just distract him_, Charisma thought in a frantic voice.

            "Okay," Sparx said, ready to do almost anything.

            "Hey, Devlin," Charisma said, inwardly groaning and hating herself.

            "Yes?" he answered expectantly.

            "Would you . . . like to," she stammered. _Ugh!_  "Dance?"

            Devlin smiled. "Sure. I knew you would turn around."

            "Look. I don't really want to do this, okay? It just that I would look stupid just standing here while everyone is with someone, okay?"

            "Okay, okay. Lets just move on out!" Devlin said cheerfully.

            _Ugh! I hate myself! I hate myself!_

            "Hey, look on the bright side! Devlin won't know who Spyro is. This a great distraction," Sparx told Charisma.

            "Ready my dear?" Devlin asked in a gentleman's voice.

            "Ready," she replied grumbling.    __

_            Where is she? Where is she? Where_ is_ she? _ Spyro thought frustrated, searching for Charisma in the crowd. He had been standing by the refreshment table for thirty minutes. It was already 9:00, and to Spyro, the party had just begun. On one end of the field, the guests had set up a game of bobbing for apples. It was becoming a big mess. He was getting another helping of punch, when Spyro suddenly spotted Donna walking toward him. _Will she ever give up?_  he thought exasperated.

            "Hey Spyro!" Donna cried cheerfully.

            "Shush!" he whispered loudly. "Call me Asher, okay? I'm trying to stay away from the guards and getting caught. I think they're on to me," he added worriedly.

            "Okay, _Asher_," she said, giggling. "I won't tell a soul."

            "Good," he said relieved.  "How did you get here anyway?" he asked curiously.

            "A friend of mine who knew a friend who knew another friend had gotten an invitation to this party. So, the friend of my friend asked if she knew anyone who would want to come. Naturally, I came to her mind, so my friend told her friend. That's pretty much how I came."

            "Whoa. How did you _get_ here? Like what path?"

            "Oh, that was easy. Elora had let us use a superflight portal."

            "You know Elora?" Spyro said incredulously. Elora was a faun who had helped guide Spyro to defeat Ripto.

            "Yeah. I had met her when my family and I went to Avalar. That was, of course, after you had successfully beaten Ripto. She talked nonstop about it."

            "Really?"

            Donna nodded her head. "She told me to tell you to come to Avalar sometime to visit. Hunter said that he wanted to show you something cool." She rolled her eyes. "I had gotten a peek at it, and it was just some manta ray. He said he had been working on it, but still had some kinks to get out. That cheetah is quite weird. Anyway, enough about Avalar, tell me what you had done so far."

            "Well, right now, I'm in the process of finding Charisma and Sparx. Sparx is hiding in Charisma's flower so he can tell me what's going on."

            "Who's Charisma?" Donna asked curiously.

            "She's the Mystic Shadows Dragon princess. Devlin is trying, unsuccessfully, to win her heart so he can rule Mystic Shadows."

            "Wow. Who's Devlin?"

            "Prince of the Black Dragons."    

            "Your mission must be tough," she said adoringly. "What will you do if you get caught?"

            "Let's hope we don't find out."

            A group of dragons were waving Donna to come over there. "I gotta go. I'll see ya later, Asher," she said, giggling at the name.

            _Whew! She's finally gone! _ Spyro thought happily. _What _will_ I do if Sparx and I get caught? I'll think about it later. _He suddenly spotted Charisma at the other end of the table, with Devlin. _Rats! _he thought, frustrated that he hasn't really talked to Charisma yet, or dance with her for that matter. He saw Devlin leave to go to some of, Spyro guessed, his friends. He went toward Charisma, still staying in the big crowds, in case Devlin came back.

            "Hey!" he greeted them.

            "Spy – I mean, Asher!" Charisma replied, catching herself.

            "Want to dance?" Spyro said in his nice gentleman voice.

            Charisma blushed. "Sure," she accepted shyly. It was a nice slow dance when they headed toward the floor.

            "Do you think you'll get caught?" Charisma asked Spyro worriedly.

            "Nah. If I do, I won't go without a fight," he replied bravely.

            "I think I should leave you two lovebirds alone," Sparx interrupted teasingly. "Just dance by that torch over there and I'll stay hidden there."

            "Okay," Spyro said.

            They walked toward the torch and dropped Sparx off. "If I see Donna, under me, I'll distract her."

            "Good idea," Spyro said.

            They walked back to the floor and started dancing. In the middle of the song, the lights dimmed a little. Charisma's amulet glittered and sparkled in the darkness. (oh how so not uncoincidential . *glances at Sparx by light switch) 

            _She looks so beautiful_, Spyro thought.

            _He's so handsome. I hope Devlin is jealous_, Charisma thought mischievously.

            Indeed, Spyro did look quite dashing, which did catch a couple of girls' eyes. (ho ho ho…wait how do they dance? O.o)

            "So," Spyro said, trying to start a conversation, "how about we head outside?"

            "We are outside, silly," Charisma said giggling.

            "Whoops. I guess we are," he said, slightly embarrassed. "It's just that I saw a gate on the side of the wall there. I thought maybe we could go out there instead. I saw a couple of pairs go through." Spyro shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? Maybe there's another field."

            "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to just take a look," Charisma agreed.

            The walked past the torch Sparx was in and whispered where they were going.

            "Just be careful," Sparx told them worriedly.

            "Who are you?" Spyro said teasingly, "My mother or something?"

            Sparx blushed.

            They quickly went to the gate Spyro had spotted earlier.


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter 10

Aaahhh…a short chapter…not that much indenting…@_@

            Low and behold, it was indeed another field! Charisma and Spyro were definitely surprised. There were benches, gardens, a small lake, and even a garden maze. It was also very beautiful.

            "Devlin didn't tell me anything about this! I didn't even notice the gate when I came by earlier!" Charisma exclaimed.

            "Well, then I guess it's a surprise," Spyro answered.

            They could hear the music still going from the other field and saw some other couples arrive.

            "Let's dance," Spyro suggested grinning.

            "Why not?" Charisma said in a royal voice.

            After they danced, they went into the maze.

            "Man!" Spyro cried in frustration when they had reached another dead end. "I wish I could just blast through this brush with my flame!"

            "Patience, Spyro," Charisma said trying to calm him down. "It wouldn't be as fun then."

            Thirty minutes later, they finally found their way out.

            "Gee! That was kinda tough!" Spyro exclaimed.

            "Probably not as tough as some of your adventures," Charisma pointed out.

            "I guess you're right." Spyro looked up at the sky and noticed all the stars out there. "I wonder how many stars there are," Spyro said mostly to himself.

            "Billions and billions," Charisma guessed. They turned and looked at each other.

            They gazed into each other's eyes and Spyro slowly leaned toward her. He slowly and tenderly gave her a kiss.

            "Wow," Charisma said softly afterward.

            "Yeah, wow," Spyro agreed. They looked at each other for a long time.

            "Want to walk around the lake?" Charisma suggested.

            "Sure," Spyro accepted.

            They turned to a path that led to the lake and quietly walked side by side. A feeling of strong love came over them. A love so strong, that not even black magic could break it. Ah, young love. Quite amazing, isn't it?

            The path ended at an enchanting lake. All around it flowers bloomed and the stars reflected on the surface of the water.

             "This is really nice," Spyro said to Charisma. "Is this a part of Mystic Shadows?" he asked.

            "No, it's part of Dragon Shores," she replied sarcastically. "Of course it's part of Mystic Shadows, silly!" 

            "Well you never know! It could have been magic!"

            "No magic could have created this, Spyro," she told him. "Only Mother Nature could have made anything this beautiful. Sure magic could have helped a little," she admitted, "but magic couldn't have made all of this." She waved her arm to emphasize her point. "We just take it for granted, never really thinking how everything was created."

            "You're right," he agreed.

            There was a little pause.

            "Look familiar?" Spyro asked curiously.

            "Yeah," she replied in a faraway voice. "This is a part of my favorite park, Mystic Dreams Park. Everywhere, couples were sitting in benches and children playing. I can almost see it," she said softly. Her eyes looked misty.

            "Don't cry, Charisma," Spyro told her. "We'll get this mess straightened up and everything will be back to normal." He gave her hug.

            "The question is how, Spyro? How?" she asked him sadly. "It would take forever to fix everything and get everything back to normal! I don't even know how it got to be like this," she added softly.

            "Well," Spyro said thoughtfully, "did it become like this right after the Black Dragons and Unicorns arrive, or did it happen a while after?"

            Charisma thought hard. "I think it just took a day or two. Why?"

            "I think that maybe if they left, everything would be back to normal in a day or two after they leave," he told her. "Don't you see?"

            "See what?" Charisma asked a little confused.

            "See that when the Black Dragons and Unicorns arrived, they had brought the Darkness of Evil with them!" Spyro said excitedly.

            "Darkness of Evil?" she asked him, still confused.

            "Yeah! This wizard dude told me some stuff about magic and that anything from the Dark Valley can bring the Darkness of Evil with them!"

            "But what _is_ the Darkness of Evil?" Charisma asked him.

            "Some kind of black magic that can destroy the goodness in any spirit. It just has to be totally covered by the Darkness of Evil to get its effect."

            "Wow," Charisma said amazed. "I've never heard of that before. Maybe that was next week's lesson," she added thoughtfully.

            "The point is," Spyro said in a hurried voice, "if you do marry Devlin, you could become evil and it would be impossible to turn you back to normal!"

            "Where do you learn all of this stuff?" Charisma asked him admiringly.

            "Hey," Spyro said grinning, "you can't have an adventure without picking up on a few things."

            "Well, what are we going to do?"

            "Find out more about this plan of theirs and hope to not get caught," Spyro said in a very determined voice.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter 11

Another short one…

_Now where is she? _Devlin asked himself.

            Devlin was looking for Charisma, as usual. _She'd better not be where I think she is_, he thought angrily. 

            He looked toward the gate Spyro and Charisma had gone through. The gate was ajar. _Either others had gone through, or those two had._

            Tendrils of smoke were rising from his nose and a look of rage flamed into his eyes. _SPYRO!!!!!!!!!!! _(he's mad doncha think? O.o;)

            He charged across the field and headed toward the gate. Rex, Brutus, and Ripto were nearly run over as he swiftly passed them.

            "Whoa!" Brutus said. "Where's the fire?"

            "I think the fire is in Devlin," Ripto said.

            "Let's follow him!" Rex exclaimed and raced after Devlin.

            "My, it's so peaceful out here," Charisma told Spyro softly. "You, me, and just the others out here."

            They were lying by the shores of the lake with Charisma's head resting on Spyro's shoulder. She gave a sigh of content. "I wish this could last forever." (awww…gag)

            "It could once this is over," Spyro answered.

            "Are you going home after this," Charisma asked him.

            "It's a tough decision," he answered her. "You here, my family in the Artisan World. I don't really know right now."

            "You have some time to think about it," Charisma told him. "You decide from your heart."

            "I wonder how Sparx is doing," Spyro asked himself.

            "You needn't wonder anymore," an evil voice said behind him.

            Startled, they turned around to see poor Sparx in Ripto's hand struggling desperately to get free.

            "Devlin!" they cried together. They immediately stood up, and Spyro moved in front of Charisma to protect her. A look of rage came about his face as he breathed tendrils of smoke. (uh…oh…trouble .)

            "PUT HIM DOWN!" he roared. By this time, Sparx was weakening. (no one messes with Sparx and comes unharmed in other words .)

            A sense of evil came about the place. All the other couples ran into the other field screaming.

            "We'll let him go," Devlin said slyly, "if Charisma comes with me." A sinister grin came about his face.

            A look of apprehension came across Charisma's face, then sadness. Spyro, knowing there was nothing he could do, lowered his head and walked slowly beside her.

            "I'll go," Charisma said softly, tears brimming her eyes.

            Devlin grinned. "I knew you would say that." He turned to the others. "Release the prisoner."

            Ripto dropped Sparx to the ground. Sparx struggled to get up. Spyro hurried to him.

            "You okay, buddy?" Spyro asked worriedly.

            "Well," Devlin said, "Mr. Tough Guy can be sensitive. I guess he's just a baby after all!" Rex, Ripto, Brutus, and Devlin laughed at this.

            "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Spyro roared as he charged into an unsuspecting Devlin. (You go Spyro O)

            "Grab him!" Rex ordered as he checked on a moaning Devlin. They tried to get him, but Spyro was just getting warmed up.

            "Catch me if you can!" he cried as he picked up Sparx with his nose. "Wake up buddy!" he whispered.

            They had a merry chase, but Spyro was always one step ahead of them. 

            "Come on, Spyro!" Charisma cheered.

            A puff of smoke appeared behind her. She turned around and saw an enormous dragon looming above her.

            "AAHHHH!" she screamed as it grabbed her.

            "You're coming with ussssssss!" it hissed.

            _Melvelle!_  she thought frightened. (I still don't like that name…oh well .;)

            Spyro turned to look. "Let her go!" he bellowed.

            "Why sssshould I?" the dragon hissed.

            "I'll go," Spyro said defeated.

            It grinned and placed a terrified Charisma down. By that time, all the party guests had come by. Donna had fled back to the Artisan World. (what a chicken -.-)

            "We'll first place this dragon in the dungeon," Rex told the others.

            They went inside and went down a long hallway. Spyro had a metal manacle around his neck and he had his head lowered. Sparx had finally regained conscience and hid in Spyro's mane. The fall had broken the clay so he was now his yellow color, the same color as Spyro's mane. 

            Charisma was walking beside Devlin, a sad and forlorn look on her face. _I have failed you, Mom and Dad. I'm the cause of this. Now Spyro is caught and there's no hope of the returning of Mystic Shadows._

            They had finally reached the dungeon and Spyro slowly walked in. The guards slammed the door behind him.

            "Hope you have a nice stay," Devlin said, then walked away laughing.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter 12

            "Fine mess I got us in, huh Sparx?" Spyro asked Sparx shamefully.

            "You didn't have a choice," Sparx said trying to console Spyro. "Charisma could have gotten hurt." He smiled. "Besides, you placed a big bruise on Devlin."

            Spyro smiled a little. "I guess I did." His eyes turned somber again. "I just wished I could have done something," Spyro said woefully. "Now we're trapped here!"

            "Correction," Sparx told him. "_You're_ the one that's trapped. _I'm_ not the one wearing chains."

            "You're right Sparx," Spyro said, a plan forming into his mind. "And since you _are_ free, you can get the keys."

            "No!" Sparx told him. "I'm not getting the keys!"

            "You have to Sparx!" Spyro told him urgently. "You're the only way I can get out of these chains!"

            "Why don't you try melting them with your flame?" Sparx said.

            "Sparx! Why would they put me in chains that can melt if I'm a dragon?"

            "Wrong chains?" he replied meekly.

            Spyro looked at him.

            "Okay," Sparx finally said. "I'll try."

            Spyro grinned. Okay here's what you have to do . . ."

*                *                *

            Charisma was staring out of her window when Devlin came in.

            "Charisma?" Devlin started. "I'm sorry what happened out there. I didn't know Melvelle would do that."

            _He actually sounds sorry_, Charisma thought. "Apology accepted," she said cooly. "Now what do you want?"

            He grinned. "I want to show you your parents."

*                *                *

            "I almost have it!" Sparx exclaimed.

            "Keep it down, Sparx," Spyro told him.

            Sparx had sneakily taken the keys of the sleeping guard and was trying to unlock Spyro's chains.

            "That's the fifteenth 'I almost have it' you have said so far!" Spyro said.

            "Well, there's one more key," Sparx said when the key didn't work. He took the key and put it in the keyhole. It fit. (It's always the last one isn't it? .)

            "It fits!" Sparx said excitedly.

            "Well see if it will turn!" Spyro said hurriedly.

            Sparx turned the key and they heard a click.

            "It worked!" they both exclaimed.

            "Keep it down in there," the guard said sleepily.

            "Sorry," they whispered.

            When they heard the guard snoring, they looked around to see if they could get through without using the door.

            "Why don't we just use the door?" Sparx whined.

            "It wouldn't be as cool then," Spyro told him. "Besides," he added, "they will be expecting that."

            "Okay," Sparx said.

            They searched around some more.

            "I think I found a way out!" Spyro exclaimed excitedly.

            Sparx hurried over to him. Spyro had found a loose brick and was trying to push it out.

            "On the count of three, push," Spyro told Sparx. Sparx nodded his head.

            "Okay, one, two, three!" Together, Spyro and Sparx pushed on the loose brick with all their might. Light streamed through the hole.

            "We did it!" Sparx exclaimed while hugging Spyro.

            "We're not in the clear, yet," Spyro said. "We have to find Charisma."  

            "But where could she be?"

            "Let's check her room first."

            "What if she's not there?" Sparx asked worriedly.

            "Than we'll search this whole place," Spyro said determinedly.

            They pushed the rest of the bricks out and looked outside. Once they had made sure that no one was around, they went through and went around the lair. When they heard footsteps nearby, they dodged into a nearby bush, going as deep as they can.

            "Man!" Sparx exclaimed. "There are a lot of guards now!"

            "You're right," Spyro agreed. "Just the way I like it."

            They kept on walking until they came to a familiar window. There was a piece of paper wound around one of the bars. Sparx took the note and read aloud.

            "This is what the note says," Sparx began. "It says 'I'm going to see my parents.

Just wait for me outside. I'll be back soon.'"

            "How did she know we broke free?" Spyro asked Sparx.

            "There's something on the bottom! 'P.S. I know that you'd be able to break free. You guys are very good at that.'"

            "Off to see her parents?" Spyro said aloud.

            "That's what the note said," Sparx confirmed. "Maybe Devlin wanted to show Charisma her parents so that she'd have to marry him!"

            Spyro was getting red with rage again. "Why that sneaky, snake in the grass, evil son of bit--…!"

            "Calm down, Spyro!" Sparx pleaded as he clamped his mouth shut. "We don't want to get caught again!"

            Spyro turned back his regular, purple color. "You're right as always, Sparx."

"What should do now?"

            "I guess we just wait here until Charisma comes back."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter 13

            "Are we almost there?" Charisma asked for the tenth time.

            "Almost," Devlin replied for the tenth time.

            They were walking down a long corridor on their way to Charisma's parents.

            "This is taking forever!" she exclaimed. "They had better be okay, because it they aren't, I'll . . . I'll—"

            "What?" Devlin asked smiling. "What can you do now that you don't have any power? You're just a dragon, not a unicorn." He laughed. (Them be fightin' words, mistah)

            Charisma was getting angrier and angrier by the minute. _If Spyro doesn't beat up Devlin first, _I_ will._

            They were nearing the place where the dragons were kept. Charisma could hear some of them moaning.

            "What did you do to them?!" Charisma yelled. They were only in the first cell, and she could see that their colors were fading. "Why are their colors disappearing?!"

            Devlin shrugged. "We don't know. It started with the blues and now its just going down the rainbow."

            _Going down the rainbow? _ Charisma thought. _Does that mean I might be next?_ _And what about Spyro? _

            "I'll leave you alone to talk to your parents. They're further down the row." Devlin turned and left.

_            I got to find my parents,_ she thought. _Maybe they can tell me what's causing this. _

            She walked further down the hallway, cringing at the sight of all her people. She soon reached the cell where her parents were.

            "Mom! Dad!" she cried.

            "Charisma?" they said weakly.

            They reached out and held her paws. "What are you doing here?"

            "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked them. "I thought they had scattered you everywhere across the world!"

            "Well they didn't," Azurite told his daughter. "I guess it was just a rouse."

            "We were so worried about you, dear," Diamond told her. "Any luck in finding help?"

            "Yes. Spyro's here."

            They looked at her in shock. "Here?" Azurite said doubtfully. "How could he _get _here? There's no way he could here unless there was a por-" he stopped and looked at her. "You made a portal? To the Artisan World?"

            Charisma smiled. "Surprised, aren't ya?"

            Diamond beamed at her. "I told you she could do it!" she told Azurite.

            Charisma looked sad. "But Spyro got caught. Actually he surrendered."

            They looked at her.

            "He didn't have a choice!" she cried. "This big dragon — actually Melvelle — picked me up. I was so terrified!"

            "Were you okay? And where was Spyro when this happened?" Azurite asked.

            "Let me start at the beginning."

            "Wise idea, dear," Diamond said.

            "Well, we were at the party Devlin held and Spyro had sneaked in in disguise." She smiled. "He ran into a door on his way there and the clay shattered. Luckily there were other purple dragons. Anyway, he asked me to dance and led me to a door that lead to another field. A little later we went by the lake and rested." She paused. 

             "Anything romantic happen?" her mother asked curiously.

            "Mom!"

            "Ah-ha!" Diamond exclaimed. "Something _did_ happen! Tell us."

             "Well…he…uh…he uh…well he did kiss me…" She turned her head away blushing. (I think back…once again…how? O.o)

            They were in shock. "Well, well, well," Azurite said stunned. "Our little girl is growing up."

            "Can I continue now?" Charisma asked impatiently.

            "Go ahead."

            "Anyway, Devlin and his minions came up behind us holding Sparx — you know, the dragonfly — and he was struggling to get free. I did the most loyal thing to do. I told them I would go with them. They dropped Sparx and Spyro hit Devlin hard because Devlin called him a baby."

            "Then they did a merry chase," she continued. "I stood by cheering Spyro on when Melvelle came up behind me as a dragon and grabbed me. I was screaming! Spyro saw what was going on and did the toughest thing he had to do. He surrendered and now he's in the dungeon." Tears were brimming her eyes.

            "Don't cry, dear," Azurite told her. "I'm sure Spyro's fine."

            "How long though?" she cried. "I saw the others losing their colors! Why?"

            Diamond hung her head sadly. "It's the Darkness of Evil," she said gravely. "Do you know what it is, Charisma?"

            Charisma nodded her head. "Spyro told me."

            "Then you know where it came from. When the Black Dragons and Unicorns captured us, the evil was passed through them to us. Since we have strong, good spirits, they are fading until there is nothing left. We could be gone forever."

            "What about me?"

            "Since you are destined to be Devlin's wife — since they had arrived, that is — you will survive."

            "And Spyro?"

            "He will fade away like us as long as he stays in that dungeon," Azurite told her gravely. 

            "But, if he does indeed escape, he might have a chance," Diamond said to hopefully.

            "But, Mom!" she wailed. "I don't know what to do!"

            "Shh. You will know what is in your heart."

            "And with Spyro helping you," Azurite added thoughtfully, "you have a very good chance at succeeding. When you find your secret power, the victory will be in the bag."

            "What's my secret power?"

            "No one knows," Diamond told her. "The only dragon that _does_ know is you. Your spirit has it ready when you find the key."

            "Charisma!" Devlin called.

            "You'd better leave, honey," Azurite said. "We know you can win."

            Charisma kissed them good-bye and thought about the conversation as she left.

_I nave a secret power?_ she thought._ Why didn't they tell me about it sooner? And why didn't Darion tell me anything about. Maybe they wanted to make sure I understood about it._ She reached where Devlin was waiting.

            "Nice visit?" he asked.

            "Yeah. But it would have been better if I was _with_ them."

            They walked a little ways down when they heard a voice behind them.

            "Well, Devlin, when do I arrive?"

            They turned around to see Melvelle in her catlike form. "Well?"

            "We'll discuss that later," Devlin said hurriedly as nodded his head toward Charisma.

            "Oops. We'll talk later then." She disappeared in a puff of smoke.

            "What was that about?" Charisma asked suspiciously.

            "Oh, nothing," he said innocently.

            "Humph."

            They soon reached Charisma's room. Devlin opened her door, as usual, and Charisma slammed the door in his face, as usual. _I'm _sure_ she's starting to like me_, he thought. (Boy he's really hopeful ain't he? .)


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter 14

            Spyro cautiously looked through Charisma's window when he heard the door slam.

            "So how was the visit?" he said casually.

            Charisma turned around, happy to see Spyro free from the dungeon.

            "How did you escape?" she asked curiously.

            "Loose brick."

            Charisma's face saddened. "Now what are we going to do?" she cried. "We're back where we started from!"

            "Sparx and I get free and we're welcomed by a crying dragon," Spyro chuckled. "How typical is that?"

            Charisma looked at him coldly. Then her look softened and started giggling. "I guess you're right. I should be happy." 

            "But you're right to cry," Sparx told her when he finally reached the window. "My wings are bruised again since Ripto squashed me. I won't be able to fly for a couple of days." He looked at his wings thoughtfully. "Since they're only bruised, I should be back to normal in two or three days."

            "At least it's not a month like the first time," Spyro said. Charisma looked confused. "Before we came up here — before the message for that matter — a dragon gave me this spicy drink and I accidentally flamed Sparx's wings."

            "Poor Sparx," Charisma sympathized.

            "Well I survived," Sparx said in a tough voice. "Spyro's flame could kill you if he drank enough of that stuff."

            "So how was the visit?" Spyro repeated.

            "Well, it was okay, I guess," she said nonchalantly.  

            Spyro was puzzled by her calmness. "Are you sure?"

            She burst into tears. "They're fading away!" she cried.

            "What?!" they exclaimed incredulously.

            "Because of the Darkness of Evil," she began, "they are disappearing! It's starting with the blues and violets and it goes down the rainbow!" she broke down sobbing.

            "What about Spyro?" Sparx asked tentatively.

            Charisma's face relaxed a bit. "He'll be fine since he's not in the dungeon. I'll also be fine since I was destined to be Devlin's wife."  She started crying again. "But my people will be forever lost if they stay there any longer! They might be gone in a couple of days!"

            Spyro tried to find a way to solve this. "What if Sparx sneaked in and steal the keys to release them?" he suggested hopefully.

            "Then what's stopping the guards to put them in again?" she countered.

            "The wedding," Sparx said in a small voice.

            They looked at him, both knowing he was right. They sighed despairingly. They were quiet for a few moments. Then the sound of footsteps approaching made them nervous.

            "You guys better leave," Charisma told them. They quickly fled under a nearby bush while she freshened up a bit.

            "Charisma?" Devlin's voice said on the other side of the door.

            "What?" she answered annoyed.

            "Could you come outside for a moment?"

            She sighed and went to the door. _This had better be good,_ she thought annoyed.

She opened the door surprised to see no one there.

            "Hello?" she said hesitantly. "Devlin?"

            "Back here," he said.

            "Where?"

            "Behind you."

            She whirled around and saw him grinning. "I can do what I want, you know."

            "What do you want?" she asked impatiently. 

            "I came to tell you that we will be going to the Dark Valley tomorrow."

            "_What?!_"

            "Yes. That's where the ceremony will be."

            "What if I don't want to come with you?"

            "It's not a matter of want," he told her, "but since you asked, your family and other loved ones will fade away."

            _Man! _she thought groaning_. They always give me tough decisions._ She thought about the condition her parents were in. _But_, she thought, _if it's good for my parents and my people, I guess I have no choice._ She turned to Devlin. "I'll go."

             Devlin grinned. "Great. We'll leave at dawn."

            "Dawn this, dawn that," she said. "Why does everything happen at dawn?" 

            "The best parts always happen at dawn!" he said as he opened the door for Charisma. "See ya tomorrow," he added cheerfully.

            "Whatever," she muttered as she shut the door. She quickly went to the window, looking to see if Spyro and Sparx were there.

            "Spyro? Are you there?" Charisma asked.

            "Yeah?" Spyro answered as he came out of the bush they were hiding.

            "I have some bad news," she said sadly. "We'll be leaving tomorrow at dawn to the Dark Valley."

            "What?!" he cried.

            She looked gravely at him. "It's true. I don't know how we'll get there, but we will." She looked sad. "I don't know what's going to happen to my family. Maybe you can lead them to me if you have to stay behind."

            Spyro thought about this concept. _If I went with Charisma, there wouldn't be anyone to free the other dragons. On the other hand, anything could happen down there. _He looked at Charisma. _I guess I should stay here. They could make a portal to Dark Valley, anyway. I guess they could also help me get pass the guards. _

            "I guess I'll stay here and free your fellow dragons," Spyro said hesitantly. By this time, Sparx had come.

            "What's going on?" he asked. "Who's going where?"

            Charisma told him what was happening. "Spyro wants to stay here and come to the Dark Valley later. You can decide whether or not you want to come with me, or stay with Spyro."

            "I think you should go with Charisma," Spyro told Sparx. "That way, I'll know that Charisma will be all right."

            "Are you sure? You might need some help if they leave guards around."

            "Don't worry," Spyro assured him. "I know what I'm doing. I've done this sort of thing a million times!" It was getting darker by the minute. "I think we better get some rest. I'll watch you go in the morning." He turned to Sparx. "You better spend the night with Charisma. They might leave earlier than planned." He turned and went into the bushes.

            "Well Charisma, it looks like you should start packing," Sparx said.

            She looked at him. "Pack what?" 

            Sparx looked around the room. "I guess there's nothing here to pack."

            "Do you think Spyro will make it?" Charisma asked worriedly.

            "Sure! He's done this sort of thing before!" Charisma looked at him skeptically. "In school!"

            She sighed. "How will he get to the Dark Valley?"

            "I'm sure the dragons will help him."

            "You're right. I shouldn't worry so much." She gazed through the window. "It's just that so much is at stake. We can't afford another mishap."

            Sparx put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. With Spyro on the job, nothing can go wrong." He yawned. "Now lets get some sleep."

            Streaks of sunlight entered Charisma's room. Sparx opened an eye and gave a big yawn. _Time to get up already?! _he thought. He looked at Charisma. She was still sleeping. _I guess I'd better wake her up, too. _He went toward her and started poking her.

            "What?" she said sleepily. She blinked her eyes. "Oh," she yawned, "it's time to get up." Instead, they both went back to sleep.

            _What's taking them so long, _Spyro thought to himself. _I'd better wake them up if they're still asleep._ He looked inside. "I guess I'll _have_ to wake them up," he said to 

himself. He made sure no one was there. "UP AND AT 'EM GUYS!" he yelled. Sparx and Charisma shot up like a rocket.

            "What's the big idea?" they said together.

            "How else was I supposed to get you up?" he answered innocently.

            "Well, I'm ready," Sparx said, still a little sleepy.

            "Are you sure you'll be okay," Spyro asked Charisma concerned.

            "Of course!" Charisma answered with determination. "I just hope you'll arrive before . . . you know."

            "And miss the wedding cake?" he said teasingly. "Get real!" They all laughed at his remark. They froze when they heard footsteps.

            "Where am I going to hide?" Sparx suddenly exclaimed.

            They thought wildly. "You could hide in a bag filled with books!" Charisma suggested.

            Sparx shrugged. "It's worth a shot. Hurry! Collect some books!"

            "I'll use this towel as a bag," Charisma said.

            They heard voices outside her door. "This is it," Spyro whispered. "Good luck!" He gazed at Charisma. "Don't forget me," he told her and gave her kiss. Then, he was off in a flash. Charisma just stood there stunned.

            "Come on!" Sparx urged her, breaking her away from her daze. "Will talk about this later." He looked at her. "You're one lucky dragon," he teased and dove into the bag just as the door opened.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter 15

            "Charisma? Are you ready to leave?" Devlin asked as he opened the door.

            "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming!" she replied.

            Devlin looked inside. "The portal is waiting for you, my dear."

            "And so is everyone else," Brutus muttered.

            Charisma left her room without saying anything and stood right in front of them. "Now what?" she asked cooly.

            Devlin smiled. "Now we go to the portal," he said matter of factly.

            "And where would that be?" she asked impatiently.

            "Follow us," Ripto said gruffly. 

            They walked through a series of hallways and corridors before they reached the exit. As she walked thorough the doors, Charisma looked around to see if Spyro was there. _I still can't believe he kissed me again!_ she thought to herself. _And what did Sparx mean when he said I was a lucky dragon? I'll have to ask him later. _She looked up when she heard a rustling of leaves nearby. There was Spyro. She smiled at him. He smiled back and gave her a wink. Then, he disappeared.

            "We're almost there," Rex told her.     

     _       It's about time! _she thought. She saw a glow of light just a couple of yards away. _I'm taking it that's the portal._ The closer they got, the bigger it got. Two guards were standing on each of its side, their spears crossed in front of it.

            "Are you ready Charisma?" Devlin asked her.

            "Whenever you're ready."

            "Then lets go. Ripto, you go first. Brutus, you'll be second, Dad, you'll go after him, and Charisma and I will go together."

            She looked around one last time. She saw Spyro _again_ in a tree. She looked at him. He mouthed the words, _I love you_. She nodded back and mouthed, _I love you, too. _He slipped away into the tree and was gone.

            "Okay, Charisma, it's our turn."

            She walked with Devlin by her side and went in.

            Now to find _the dungeon where the other dragons are, _Spyro thought as he raced across the field. _The sooner I get them out, the better._ He spotted a big dome with bars all around the windows. _That's gotta be it._ Spyro saw guards patrolling the area. _Crud. This is going to be harder than I thought._ He slowly walked to the side, keeping a good distance from the guards and staying in the foliage. When the coast was clear, he dashed toward the nearest bush. The bush was underneath a window.

            "Hello?" he whispered. He heard the shuffling of feet and hid in the bush.

            "Who's there," a tired, soft voice answered.

            "What's you're name?" Spyro said quickly.

            "Diamond."

            _What luck! _Spyro sighed with relief. "I'm going to get you outta here."

            "Spyro? Is that you?" another voice asked.

            "That's right, King Azurite." He laughed. "Hey, that rhymes!"

            "Okay, that's enough laughing," Diamond said seriously. "How are you going to get us out? The only way is with the key."

            "Did you try your flame?"

            "Actually, no," Azurite told them. "We are so weak that it takes us awhile to even stand!"

            "Then stand back. My flame packs a powerful punch."

            When he made sure they were a good distance away and the cost was clear, he flamed the bars with all his might. When he was finished, he was shocked to see the bars still in tact, but slightly bent. "I guess I'll have to find the keys," he said ruefully. "Where are they?"

            "They're on the guard's belt," Diamond told him while pointing at a sleeping guard by the door. "It doesn't matter which one you use. They're all the same."

            "Good luck!" Azurite told him.

            _I guess I'll have to go around_, Spyro thought as he went around the building. Two guards were standing in front of the door. _This will be a little harder than I thought. _Spyro looked around the area. He spotted a rock nearby and grabbed it. _Now for the diversion._ He threw the rock toward some bushes on the other side.

            "What was that?" one guard asked.

            "We'd better see what it was."

            They went over to where Spyro threw the rock. Spyro quietly crept inside and looked around. He spotted the guard and saw Diamond pointing to him. He silently walked toward the guard, staying in the shadows. _I wish Sparx was here!_

He looked at the guard's belt, noticing the glint of gold from the keys. _Okay, here goes nothing!_  he thought as he reached for the keys. He froze when the guard stirred and started yawning.

            "Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock," he sang hurriedly. The guard went back to sleep. "Whew!"

            "Okay, now get the keys," Azurite told him. "The sooner we're out, the better. The other dragons are fading fast."

            "I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying," Spyro muttered as he broke the keys loose from the belt. _Got it!_ He slipped the key into the keyhole and opened the door. "You're free. Now lets get the others outta of here!"

            One by one, they released the other dragons from their cells, and when they reached the blue and violet dragons, they were shocked to see them fading in and out. "Hurry," they cried weakly. "We don't . . . have much . . . time!"

            "You'll be outta here in a couple of seconds," Spyro assured them. He placed the key in the keyhole.

            "Freeze!" a voice called behind him.

     _Not in your life,_ Spyro thought as he opened the door. "Now get out of here! I'll hold them off!"

            "Are you sure?" they asked worriedly.

            "Positive. Now go!"

            They quickly ran as fast as they could. Spyro made sure they were gone before facing the guards.

            "You wanna catch me?" he called to them. "Come and get me!"

            The guards nodded at each other and started charging. Spyro was just whistling calmly, leaning on the column. When they were just an inch away, Spyro sidestepped to the side. The guards ran smack into the wall.

            Spyro cringed. "That _had_ to hurt," he said to himself as he locked them in a cell and walked away.

            "Spyro!"

            "What?" he said looking around.

            "Over here!" 

            He turned around and saw the dragons in front of the portal Devlin and Charisma used. He trotted over. "How are the others?"

            "They're fine now," Diamond said happily. "They are now back to their regular selves. The Darkness of Evil has worn off from them. Though some of them are still a little weak." She turned to Azurite. "We need to prep up a bit before we go."

            "You're right, dear," he agreed. He turned to Spyro. "Do you think you can help? I know you must have done something to keep in shape."

            "I guess I could try," Spyro told him. "But I usually have Sparx with me."

            "Where is he, anyway?" Diamond asked him.

            "He's with Charisma."

            "I hope she's all right," Azurite said worriedly.

            "I sure she's fine," Diamond assured. "I know Sparx will take good care of her. Look how far they have gotten."

            He smiled. "You're right as always." He looked at Spyro. "Whenever you're ready."

            "Oh, and we captured some guards," Diamond added. "There in the dungeon."

            "Great!" Spyro grinned. "Okay everybody!" he yelled to get their attention. "We're going to do some simple exercises to start with!"


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 16

A rather uh…short and uh…not-pertaining-to-the-story-except-for-the-first-part chapter .;

_            Wow, it's really creepy down here_, Charisma thought with a shudder. _I hope Spyro is okay._

            "We're almost there," Devlin told her. They had arrived to the Dark Valley. Everything was exactly the same as Mystic Shadows was when the Black Dragons and Black Unicorns had come onto it. "You'll be staying in a nice little room in our castle."

            "What castle?" Charisma asked. "You never told me you had a castle."

            "That was supposed to be a surprise," Rex told while glaring at his son. "But now you know. There won't be any more surprises."

            "What's going on up there?" Sparx whispered, his voice muffled from the towels.

            "We're going to their castle," Charisma whispered when the others weren't paying attention to her. "Devlin told me that we'll be staying in a nice room. Maybe a little nicer than the last one." _And I'll probably have more freedom, too_, she silently added to herself.

            A troop of Black Dragons was approaching them. They stopped right in front of them and saluted. "Welcome back, Sir," the captain said.

            Rex smiled. "It's good to be back. How has everything been doing?"

            "Everything is in perfect order. No one has come by while you were gone. We even prepared that other room you ordered, though we don't know why."

            "Good, good. And that room is for personal reasons. You will find out soon though." He turned to Brutus. "Are you ready?"

            He nodded. "I hope you will be fine while I'm gone."

            Devlin looked confused. "Where are you going, Brutus?"

            He smiled. "Just on a business trip. Don't worry, kid. I'll be back in time." With a nod, he turned around and went back to the portal.

            "Where exactly is he going, Dad?"

            "I guess I have to tell you, huh?" Rex smiled. "He's just bringing some backup in case we run into any trouble."

            "What trouble?" Charisma asked.

            "Oh, just other neighboring worlds, you know."

            _Great! Just what Spyro's needs right now. Another army._ She looked back at the portal. _I hope Spyro freed my parents by now._

            "Roll, roll, roll, jump!" Spyro instructed. (aah…the memories of the Spyro dance my friend had come up in the first game .)

            "What will this do, ole chap?" a dragon asked him.

             He grinned. "Just loosen up the muscles and get your coordination going." He looked at the group. "Now, together!"

            "But we'll run, I mean, roll into one another!" another dragon complained.

            "Then space out a bit and watch where you're going. You'll get it. It just takes some getting used to. If we want to save Charisma, this will help." _Especially if we have to fight._

            All 499 dragons were rolling and jumping.

            "Ow!"

            "You smashed my wings!"

            "That's my tail!"

            Spyro was shaking his head. He blew the whistle Azurite had given him. "Okay. I think we should take a five minute break."

            Diamond came up to him. "What else are we going to do?"

            "Gliding, flaming, charging, stuff like that."

            "Will this really help, Spyro?"

            He shrugged. "Worked for me." He looked at the others. "Ready to do some more?" They slowly nodded their heads. "Okay. We'll try something different." He looked around the group. "Hey, King Azurite!"

            "Yes, Spyro? Oh, and just call me Azurite."

            "Come over here."

            Azurite walked over to him.

            "I want you to flame that tree over there," he told him and pointed to a tree five feet away from them.

            Azurite smiled. "This won't be hard." He took a deep breath and let out a big blast of fire. It went right through the tree. Everyone gasped.

            "Well done!" Spyro looked around. "Now, I want everyone to pick a tree, stand five feet away from it, and when I say go, try to fricassee it." He waited while they found some trees. "Ready?" They nodded. "Then fire!"

            He was amazed at what he saw. What trees that had been standing before, were gone. "You guys must be really good."

            "We are known for our flame," Azurite told him proudly. "What next?"

            "I guess we'll work on the charge."


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter 17

_            I wonder how Spyro's doing_, Charisma wondered as she gazed through her window. She looked around. She had a nice bed, a mirror, more books, a nightstand, and her room was a nice peachy color. She even had a balcony._ At least the room is nice._

            "Is it safe to come out now?"

            "Sure Sparx."

            Sparx flew out of the bag. "I thought I never was going to get out." He looked around. "Nice room."

            "I just hope that my parents are okay," she said worriedly.

            "I sure they're fine," he comforted her. "They're with Spyro. He knows what he's doing."

            She looked out her window again. "I'm trapped again though. There's nothing I can do." She sighed. "I just wish I could do something. Anything!"

            "Charisma?"

            She looked at her door. "What?"

            Her door opened. Sparx quickly flew back into the bag. Devlin's head poked through. "Just making sure you're okay and comfortable. Anything you need?"

             She shook her head. "I'm fine."      

            Devlin smiled. "Good. Just ring that bell if you need me." He pointed to a little bell by the door. He closed the door and left.

            "I think I'll take a nap, Sparx."

            "Okay. I guess I can read some books or something."

            "You guys are doing great!" Spyro praised. "We're going a lot faster than I expected." They were taking a short break. "I have never seen such charges like that in a long time."

            "Who was the last one?" a dragon asked him.

            Spyro smile. "Me, of course."

            They all laughed. (AHAHAHAHAHA…not .;)

            "I'm just glad that everyone's okay now," Diamond said happily. "We'll be able to bring my daughter back and restore everything."

            "How _will_ we restore Mystic Shadows, your Majesty?" another dragon asked curiously.

            "I really don't know," she answered sadly. "I'm hoping something will turn up. But we mustn't give up hope," she declared loudly. 

            "She's right, you know," Spyro agreed. "We've come this far. We just got a couple more things to work on and then we can fight!"

            Everyone cheered. (BOO!!!….)

            Spyro smiled. "Now, does anyone know how to use their tails as a defense?"

            They murmured among themselves. "We've seen it done," a dragon offered, "but we've never done it before."

            "Well, neither have I, but I really want to try it out. We can swing them back and forth. We just have to do it harder. It might be better if we stand up for this one."

            "Um, Spyro?" a dragon asked softly. "I've done it before."

            "Then come up here." Spyro smiled. "What's your name?"

            "Sarina," she answered. She was light navy blue in color.

            "Okay, Sarina. Show us how it's done."

            She looked at the group. "It's really not that hard. You just have to keep your balance when you do it." She demonstrated for them. "See? Let's first stand and swing your tail." They followed their directions. "Now swing harder, making sure you have enough space."

            "Hey!" a dragon called out. "This is kinda fun!"

            Sarina smiled. "Now swing your hindquarters around with your tail. This will bring the punch into it." She demonstrated for them again.

            After ten minutes, everyone had gotten it right, if not perfect. "Now with an object." She looked around. "Aha! We'll use these medium sized trees for practice. Here, I'll show you." With one swing, she knocked over a tree. "Now you try."

            After a couple of tries, Sarina stopped them. "You did wonderful! I guess I better turn things over to Spyro."

            "Thanks, Sarina. I have a feeling this move will come in handy." He noticed night falling. "I think we should get some rest. We'll get ready again in the morning." He looked at Sarina. "How did you learn to do that, anyway?"

            She blushed. "It was kind of an accident. I was trying to get some apples from my apple grove. I tried charging, but it just gave me a big headache."

            "I know what you mean," Spyro told her, remembering the other day.

            "So I tried knocking it over with my tail." She shrugged. "It worked so well. From then on, I just kept on doing it."

             "Well, thanks for showing us how to do it."

             She smiled. "My pleasure."

            "Where are we going to stay, your Royal Highness?" a dragon asked.

            Azurite sighed. "I don't know. I don't know what's left."

            Diamond nuzzled him. "Don't worry, dear. When Charisma comes back, everything will be back to normal."

            "What do you mean by that?" Spyro asked her confused.

            "I'll take that one."

            Spyro turned around. "Who are you?"

            "Spyro, this is our advisor, Darion," Diamond told him. "He helped guide Charisma during her training in magic."

            "Nice to meet you, Darion. Charisma told me some about you."

            "I've heard many stories about you, Spyro," Darion told him. He was a reddish looking young fellow. "It's a pleasure to meet you. But I'll talk about that later. I need to tell you about the deep magic."

            "Deep magic?" Spyro repeated.

            "That's right. Dragons with royal blood coursing through their veins have it. No two dragons ever had to the same one." He paused for a moment. "Well, except one time, but they were twins. Anyway, since Charisma is a princess and all, she might have the power to restore everything. It only works when her heart is true and full."

            "True and full?" Spyro asked confused.

            "That's right. You'll understand someday."

            "I guess we'll just sleep by some bushes," Azurite interrupted sadly. "And it's getting kinda chilly tonight."

            "Wait!" Spyro suddenly exclaimed. "I know where we can sleep. Follow me." He turned around and headed for a cliff.

            "Where are we going Spyro?" Diamond asked confused. "It's not safe to be by the cliffs." _I don't even remember those cliffs being here._

            He smiled. "We're going inside it." When he was close to where he thought the entrance might be, he said the magic words. When he was through the side of the cliff opened. "Follow me."

            "Oh my goodness," Diamond gasped when she saw the beautiful fields. "How did you find this, Spyro?"

            "This is where Charisma, Sparx, and I slept before Charisma got captured."

            "She did all this?" Darion asked amazed

            Spyro nodded.

            "My little sister actually did this?"

            Spyro looked at him. "Sister?" he asked confused.

            Darion turned red. "Oops, I wasn't supposed to say that, was I, Mom." (o.o history shall unfold…)

            Diamond looked at him gently. "It's okay now, son. I guess we really should tell the others then. She turned to the group. "Everybody!" she yelled to get the dragons' attention. They looked at her expectantly. "I know we all had thought that my son had died in a shipwreck. But he was actually with us the whole time afterwards."

            They looked at her confused. "Why didn't you tell us?"

            "Remember that those were dangerous times then. We had to keep it a secret."

            Spyro was getting more confused by the minute. "I don't understand."

            Azurite looked at him. "I'll tell you what happened. You see, Darion was sought after because others wanted him to be rid of. He was always perfect and popular. It got worse and worse as times went on. We just made the story that he had gone fishing to fool the killers. We kept him in disguise as our advisor."

            "Why didn't Charisma tell me she had a brother?"

            "She doesn't know. She knows she has a brother, but thinks he's dead, like the others. We wanted to tell her after she had performed her deep magic."

            "Why then?"

            Azurite smiled. "Do you think she would listen to her own brother?"

            Spyro smiled back. "I guess not."

            "We wanted her to learn well before we told her so she could concentrate on that and not mess around." He looked at Spyro. "Do you understand now?"

            Spyro nodded. "Thanks for explaining."

            "I think we should get some rest now," Azurite said yawning. "We got to get up early tomorrow."

            _I hope you're okay Charisma_, Spyro thought worriedly.

            "Isn't it a lovely night, Sparx?" Charisma asked dreamily.

            "If you want to call any night in this place lovely," he grumbled. "I hope Spyro's okay."

            "It reminds me of the magical moment with Spyro and me," she continued as if she hadn't heard Sparx.

            "What magical moment?" Sparx asked.

            "We were by the lake," she began. "He looked deeply into my eyes and –"

            Sparx chuckled. "Oh. _That_ again. You'll never forget that will you."

            "Of course I won't!"

            "Like that kiss goodbye?" he said teasingly.

            She turned to him. "What did you mean I was 'one lucky dragon,' Sparx?"

            Sparx shrugged. "I mean, out of all the beautiful dragons in the Artisan World, he chose you. Do you know how many girl dragons out there who would just want to meet him?"

            She shook her head.

            "Tons! He's just glad he doesn't get a lot of mail."

            "Wow. I guess he does like me for who I am."

            "Remember at the dance? I showed you Donna, and Spyro and I told you about her."

            Charisma thought hard. "Oh yeah. You told me Spyro never notices her." She smiled. "I guess I am really special then."

            "Exactly."

            Charisma looked out her window again. I guess we'd better get to bed then. It's getting late."

            Sparx stretched and yawned a bit. "I agree," he said sleepily. "Goodnight."

            "Goodnight."

            There was a moment of comfortable silence.

            "Wait a second, Sparx," Charisma said suddenly.

            Sparx looked at her. "What?"

            "Whatever happened to Donna?"

            "You know.  I'm not really sure. I think they made the guests clear the area and sent them home."

            "Then she would tell the Artisan dragons that Spyro is in trouble!"

            Sparx groaned. "Great! Just when I thought my life was complicated enough, it gets worse!"

            "This will ruin whatever plan Spyro has. What should we do?"

            Sparx thought hard. "I guess it wouldn't be so bad. I'm sure we could use the extra help. I'm just worried that Donna will be there and get in the way. I wish she would fall in love with someone else."


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter 18

            "Spyro? Are you awake?"

            Spyro stirred. "I am now. Who is it?"

            "It's me, Darion. I need to talk to you."

            Spyro slowly stretched and got up. "The sun isn't even up. Well, barely."

            "Lets talk on that hill," he told him as they walked. "Do you really think we can save my sister?"

            "Of course. They don't outnumber us by much. Ripto isn't even a lot help since he doesn't have his scepter." Spyro looked at him. "That's not really on your mind, is it?"

            Darion looked at the sleeping dragons below them. "Not exactly."

            "What's on your mind then?"

            Darion turned to Spyro. "Do you like my sister?" he asked suddenly.

            Spyro blushed. "Yeah. She's great. You must be proud."

            He smiled. "Your right. She has always been the apple of my eye. It still kinda surprises me that she's getting older. It just ached my heart that I couldn't play with her as a real brother." He looked sad. "I worry so much about her." Darion gazed at the dragons again.

            "I still think there's something else on your mind, though," Spyro said following Darion's gaze. He was basically looking at Sarina. "You like her, don't you?"

            "Yeah."

            "Do you talk to her?"

            "Some. But I basically watch from afar." (*author rolls her eyes*)

            Spyro looked at him. "Just be nice to her. You don't have to anything drastic. If you want her to like you, just be yourself."

            "Be myself?" he repeated.

            Spyro nodded.

            Darion shrugged. "I guess there's not much to lose."

            "Well, maybe losing her forever," Spyro said teasingly.

            "That makes me feel a whole lot better," Darion replied sarcastically.

            The sun was rising over the cliffs. Slowly, the dragons began to awaken.

            "I think we should go back," Spyro suggested.

            They walked back to the group and headed for Azurite and Diamond.

            Azurite yawned. "Should we do some exercises before we leave?" he asked Spyro.

            He nodded. "Okay, is everyone freshened up a bit?" he asked the others.

            The dragons nodded. "What should we do?" a dragon asked.

            Spyro smiled. "Your favorite exercise. Okay, roll, roll, roll, jump!"

            They groaned, but did it anyway.

            "I guess this does loosens up my muscles!" Sarina exclaimed.

            "Yeah," Darion agreed.

            Spyro waited a couple of seconds. "Okay. Do you feel relaxed a bit?"

            They all nodded.

            "I'll bring Charisma over here," Spyro said. 

            Azurite looked at him confused. "I thought we were going over to the Dark Valley."

            "If the others follow," Spyro explained, "we'll have the home advantage." He turned to Darion. "Gather some others. I have feeling that Melvelle will be waiting."

            One by one, stronger than ever, the dragons exited the cliff.

    _        We're coming, Charisma_, Spyro thought solemnly. 

            "Do you want to go for a walk, Charisma?" Devlin asked.

            "Not really. I feel kind of tired," she lied.

            "Well, if you do want to outside, there's a courtyard right outside your window. You can just glide down if you want."

            "You're kind of giving me a lot of freedom, don't you think?" Charisma asked suspiciously.

            "Just so you can feel right at home." He turned and left.

            "Right at home," she muttered. "Yeah right!"

            "Maybe you _should_ go out into the courtyard," Sparx suggested. "It's not really a pretty day outside, but it's not gloomy, either. I guess it's in between."

            Charisma sighed. "I guess I should get some fresh air. That is, if you want to call their air fresh."

            "Go ahead. I'll stay hidden."

            She glanced at the balcony hesitantly. "Okay." She walked onto the balcony, took a deep breath and glided down to the courtyard. _I guess it is kind of nice, _she thought when she landed. _I just wish Spyro was here to share it with me._ She walked around a bit and sat by a fountain. 

            "So do you like it? I conjured it up myself."

            Charisma spun around. "Oh. Melvelle."

            Melvelle grinned. "Yes, it's me." She jumped onto the rim of the fountain. "You know, Devlin isn't all that bad. He's handsome, reasonable, and he respects you."

            "Not to mention evil." Charisma glanced at her. "Why are you talking to me, anyway? We're enemies."

            "Well, when Devlin takes you as a bride, I guess I should restart, don't you?"

            Charisma glared at her. "I am never going to take his hand in marriage! I hate him!"

            "That's what I'm here for. Just look into the fountain."

            Charisma laughed. "Yeah right. You know I'm not that stu –" she stopped when she turned around. "She's gone!" she exclaimed.

            "No my dear. I'm right behind you!"

            Charisma jumped away just as a hand tried to grab her. "Try to catch me if you can!" she yelled behind her as she ran into the maze. _I hope I don't lose myself in here._

           "Fool!" Melvelle laughed. "You know I can use my magic to find you!"

            _Exactly._ _I'll hide near the entrance and run out._

            "Where are you?" Melvelle said laughing.

            _Just a little more_, Charisma thought. _There! _She ran right out of the maze.

            "Hey!" Melvelle roared. She changed into a griffin. _This suits me better. I'll be able to pluck her up from the sky! _she thought wickedly.

            Charisma kept on running. _Great! Just what I need. Something that flies_. She skidded in front of a wall. "Oh no!" she cried. "I'm trapped!" Charisma had accidentally ran into a corner and Melvelle was blocking the only way out.

            "I'm coming Charisma!"

            "Spyro!" Charisma cried relieved.

            "What the?" Melvelle asked confused looking around. "Where are you?"

            "Up here, melon head!" Spyro yelled as he swung down on a vine. (Look! Spyro is a Tarzan wannabe now!)  He grabbed Charisma and swung over the wall. (Again…how…? O.o)

            "You know, you could have glided down to my rescue," Charisma said when they landed.

            Spyro shrugged. "I always wanted to do that." He looked up to see Melvelle heading straight toward them. "But we're not out of the blue yet! Come on!"

            They ran straight ahead and whenever they came upon a hedge, they barreled right through it.Melvelle was gaining ground. Spyro glanced back. "We're almost there!"

            "Where?" Charisma asked confused.

            "Just follow me."

            "There's no one to help you now!" Melvelle called behind them wickedly.

            "Keep on going! I'll hold her off!" he told Charisma as he skidded to a stop.

            "No! You'll get killed!"

            Spyro winked at her. "I know what I'm doing. Now go!"

            Charisma ran on and stopped when she saw Sparx. "Sparx! What are you doing here?"

            "I'm part of the plan. Follow me to somewhere safer. Spyro will be fine." He pointed behind Melvelle's shoulder.

            Charisma grinned.

            All the while, Spyro was standing in front of Melvelle. "It wouldn't be a fair fight if you were a griffin, you know."

            She sighed. "All right." She turned into a dragon. "Happy now?"

            Spyro smiled. "Very." He looked over her shoulder. "Okay, now!"

            "Hey!" she yelled as nets flew over her.

            "We got her, Spyro!" Darion told him triumphantly.

            "Put her somewhere and go back. I'll get Devlin and his minions." He swiftly turned around and went on the path Sparx and Charisma took.

            "So Spyro's tougher than he looks," Devlin said when Ripto told him of Melvelle's capture. "We're going to have to do this on our own."

            "But how, son?" Rex asked.

            "Let's take care of the other dragons first," he commanded with an evil glint in his eye. 

            "You think he's going to be okay?" Ripto whispered to Rex as they walked on.

            "I think so. Let's go round the troops."

            Once Rex and Ripto gathered their troops, they headed toward the front. When they reached the door, they charged through. They were a little surprised to see Spyro there.

            "What took you so long?" Spyro asked. "I'd thought you'd never come."

            "YOU! YOU!!!!!!!!!" Ripto ran for him, but Rex held him back. 

            "Calm down!" Rex commanded firmly.

            "I'm sorry. I…I don't know what came over me."

            Devlin looked around. "Where are the other dragons?" he asked suspiciously.

            "Somewhere," he said grinning and took off.

            "Follow him!" Rex commanded.

            They tore off after him.

            _What is he doing? _Devlin wondered. _He's heading for the portal._

            _Well, I know they took the bait_, Spyro thought. He took one glance back and jumped into the portal when he was right in front of it.

            "Keep on going!" a voice commanded behind them.

            Rex turned around to see Brutus. He smiled. "We thought you wouldn't make it!"

            By now, Brutus had caught up to him. "Was I ever late?"

            They charged into the portal.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter 19

Time for some real fightin'!!!!!

            "They're coming!" Spyro yelled as he tumbled out.

            Everyone quickly got into place.

            "Look who came to join us," Azurite told him.

            "Thor!" Spyro yelled. "What are you doing here?"

            "I'll explain later," he said quickly. "I think you're friends will be coming out soon."

            Right after he said that, Rex, Ripto, Devlin, and Brutus burst through, along with their troops.

            Rex smirked. "So this is where you have been all along, Azurite."

            Azurite looked at him fiercely. "Let's get this over with." He charged.

            "Attack!" Ripto yelled.

            There was tail whipping, horns clanking, fire burns, and lots more. 

            "Sorry," Sarina told her opponent after she had knocked him down.

            "That's all right," he gasped. (haha .)

            Spyro had joined Charisma on an overlooking hill. "I still think I should help them," he grumbled.

            "Patience," Charisma told him. "We know Devlin will fight you." She paused. "Here comes my mom."

            "Hello, dear," Diamond said as she gave her a hug. "I brought along Sparx."

            "Do you know what's happening down there?" Spyro asked curiously.

            She shook her head. "I just know that we don't aim to kill. Just bruise. And maybe break an arm or two."

            "I see two dragons fighting side by side," Sparx commented

            Diamond looked in his direction. She smiled. "That would be my son, Darion and Sarina. Sarina is the one who taught us how to use our tails as a whip. She's a wonderful girl."  

            "They make a pretty good team," Charisma said. She suddenly looked at her mom. "Son?"

            Diamond looked back at the battlefield suddenly and gasped. "Thor is getting hurt really bad down there!"

            Spyro looked down. "I got to help him!" he yelled as he tore across the field.

            "Spyro! Wait!" Charisma cried, forgetting for a moment what Diamond had said, but she was too late.

            "I'm coming, Thor!" Spyro yelled. He ran so fast, he seemed to be flying. (he could glide…) He put himself into charging position a couple feet away and literally blew the attackers high in the air.

            Thor looked at him and smiled as Spyro helped him up. "Thanks, Spyro."

            "Looks like I still have work to do," Spyro said as a couple of dragons headed toward them.

            "Stop!" Devlin yelled.

            They looked at him confused. Everyone else stopped and turned to him.

            "What's going on down there?" Charisma said to herself and walked down.

            Devlin had and evil gleam in his eyes. "You're mine."

            Spyro handed over Thor to some other Artisan dragons and then looked at his challenger. "Bring it on."

            Devlin snorted. "Then lets start." 

            "But," Spyro said, "we'll fight, on one condition."

            "What?"

            "No flame."

            Devlin sneered. "Fine with me. Let's get this going."

            They circled around each other. 

            "Couldn't we talk this out?" Charisma suggested. 

            "No!" they shouted.

            Devlin looked at Spyro. "You know I'm going to win. Why don't you call it off?"

            Spyro smirked. "Why are you asking me? Are you feeling a bit queasy?"

            Devlin lunged at him. Spyro just sidestepped away. "Come on," Spyro said as Devlin recovered his footing. "You can do better than that, Devlin. This is getting boring." With that, he charged at him. Devlin met the challenge, and also began charging.  They horn-wrestled for a couple of moments and then drew apart.

            Devlin charged into Spyro and pinned him onto the ground. "Feel like giving up?" he asked.

            Spyro smiled. "I'm just getting warmed up," he answered. He pushed Devlin backwards with his back legs and jumped up.

            Devlin got up and lunged at him again. This time, Spyro used his tail to knock him down. "Okay, Spyro. You win," Devlin said tiredly.

            _That was a little too easy_, Spyro thought uneasily. He turned around and walked toward Charisma.

            Devlin smirked and quietly got up. He then charged into Spyro with all his might.

            "Spyro! Look out!" Sparx yelled. But it was too late.

     "ARGH!" Spyro yelled as Devlin knocked him off his feet. Charisma stared at the scene with horror. Everyone gasped.

            "I can't believe you fell for that!" Devlin exclaimed.

            "Neither can I," Spyro said in pain.

            "Well Charisma, it looks like I won."

            _No! I'm not going to let him near Charisma! Not while I'm around._ Spyro slowly got up.  He looked at Devlin with rage, breathing out tendrils of smoke. "It's not over until it's over, Devlin." He gathered all the strength he could muster, and charged into Devlin smashing him into a wall. Devlin got back up. Both battered, they glared at each other. __

_            Will this ever end? _Charisma thought sadly.

            "Give up, Spyro!" Devlin yelled.

            "Never!"

            They charged toward each other again, locking horns. Spyro threw Devlin to the ground. Devlin got up again and barreled into Spyro, causing Spyro to fall. Devlin reared up and slashed Spyro in the chest who grimaced in pain. He pushed Devlin off again and slowly got up. He regained his bearings and stood still.

            _He's weakening! _Devlin thought wickedly. _A couple more blows, and he's history!_

            He charged again, straight for Spyro's wounded chest. Spyro waited until the right moment and tail whipped him again.

            Devlin got up again and body slammed Spyro against a tree. With the last bit of strength left in him, Spyro lashed his tail at Devlin, knocking him onto the ground. Spyro didn't move. His breath made a rasping sound.

            "Well it looks like goodbye, Spyro," Devlin said viciously as he moved in for the kill.

            "NO!" Charisma yelled and hurtled herself at him. This took Devlin by surprise and Charisma had so used so much force, she knocked him against the cliff wall. Devlin got back up and looked at her bewildered.

            All the dragons gasped as this fire of energy came from her, her eyes filled with fire, rage, and hatred. It knocked Devlin off his feet and he fell unconscious. She looked at the other Dark Valley troops, ready to attack again. Ripto quickly picked up Devlin, smiled, and they all fled to the portal. (well whaddya know…the girl beat him .)

            Charisma hurriedly went to Spyro's side.

            "Is he okay?" Sparx asked nervously.

            Tears were filling her eyes. "He's gone."

Oh no! What happened?!?! IS HE DEAD?!?! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! To be continued in the final chapter…


	20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter 20

*stretches* Aaahhh…the final chapter…what will happen? Will we have a sappy ending or will I be cruel and leave Spyro dead? Find out the final chapter of Spyro in Mystic Valley (such a dumb title…) 

            "Gone? What do mean?" Sparx asked. (he went on vacation!!! To La La land though .)

                 Spyro's head was in Charisma's arms.

                 "Charisma! Are you okay?" Diamond asked behind him.

            "Mom, Sparx," she began, "Spyro's dead."

            They looked at her in horror. "Dead?" Sparx repeated incredulously. "No. That can't be." (Unfortunately…it's true…*sob*)

            "It's true."

                 "Azurite! Come over here! Quickly!" Diamond called.

            "Yes, dear?" Azurite asked and walked to them. He stopped when he saw their faces. "What is it?"

            "Call the others."

            He went over to the other dragons and brought them over to them.

                 "Dragons, I have some sad news," Diamond told them. "Spyro's gone."

            "Gone? As in dead?" Darion said hesitantly.

                 Diamond nodded. Everyone gasped in horror. 

            "I think we should leave Charisma some space," Sparx suggested. "I'll be fine." Tears slowly came down.

            "I think that is wise," Azurite agreed as he led the dragons away. "And destroy the portal!" he commanded.

                Charisma barely noticed what was happening. "Why did you have to go?" she asked softly. Her head was against his, caressing it. Memories flooded through her head. Tears slowly fell down her cheeks, slid down Spyro's head, and landed on the ground. A strong breeze suddenly came in. 

            _That's odd_, Darion thought. _There shouldn't be a breeze here_. He turned around. He gasped, his eyes opened wide. "You guys!" he shouted. "Look!" The others turned and stared. The once withered tree had turned into a beautiful oak tree, full of fresh green leaves. Slowly, the ground around them regained their green grass. And it all came from the direction of Spyro and Charisma. The skies returned blue, flowers bloomed everywhere, and Mystic Shadows was returning back to normal. Where the cliff once been, a castle proudly stood in its place. (o.o!)

            "No wonder I didn't recognize the cliff," Diamond said softly.

            But Charisma didn't notice any of the changes. She only saw Spyro, still and lifeless. "I'll never forget you," she whispered and gave him a kiss. She looked at him for a moment and started to stand. She stopped when she saw Spyro stir.

                 "Charisma?" he said weakly. (HE LIVES!!!)

                 "You're alive," she said softly. "You're alive!"

                 "What?" Sparx exclaimed turning to her.

            "She did it! Charisma did it!" Darion shouted as he hugged Sarina and gave her a kiss. "Um, sorry," he mumbled when he realized what he had done.

            Sarina smiled. "That's okay."

            Darion grinned back.

                 Diamond, Azurite, and Thor were hugging each other. "He's alive! He's alive!" they all shouted.

            "You did it Charisma," Spyro told her softly. "You restored Mystic Shadows."

            "And I got you back," she finished.

            "I still can't believe I was dead!" Spyro suddenly exclaimed. 

            "But you weren't totally dead," Charisma told him. "I felt your spirit with me. You helped me. Now let's get you fixed –" She stared at him.

            "What is it?"

            "Your wounds are gone."

            Spyro smiled. "I guess you did a lot more than restore Mystic Shadows and bring me back to life."

                 "Spyro!" Sparx cried as he gave Spyro a big hug - well, as big as a dragonfly could. "I thought I had lost my best buddy back there. How are you feeling?"

                 "Actually, a whole lot better than usual. I feel great!"

            "We'd better walk back to the group," Charisma told him.

            A roar of cheers surrounded them.

            "Sis! I can't believe you did that!" Darion shouted.

                 "Darion? You're not my brother," Charisma said confused.

                  "Actually, sis," he began, "the real story is that I am your brother. I've just been in disguise as your advisor so this gang can't kill me."

            She looked at him in a whole new way. "Darion," she said softly and gave him a long hug.

            "I'm so proud of you, sis," he said. "You saved Mystic Shadows, brought Spyro back, healed his wounds, and gave Devlin that energy blast. And you also made the Dark Valley army go home." He smiled. "Not bad."

            She smiled back at him. "At what was your power?"

            "My power created the gateway between the other Dragon Worlds and Mystic Shadows."

            "And if you hadn't, Spyro would never have come," Charisma thought aloud.

            "And you wouldn't be in love," Darion told her teasingly.

            "And Charisma would be with Devlin by now," Sparx said as he flew by them.

            Thor came up to Spyro. "You've been through a lot, Spyro. I think you need some rest."

            "You first must tell me how you knew we would need help," Spyro told him.

            "One word," Thor told him. "Donna."

            Spyro looked at him. "Donna told you what happened?"

            Thor smiled. "That's right. After that, I rounded the troops and prepped them up."

            "What took you so long?"

            "I had to drag some into it," Thor laughed. "But where will you go now?"

                 "Actually, I was thinking about that." He looked at Charisma. "I don't know where to go."

            Thor smiled understandingly. "Whatever you decide, we'll understand."

                 Charisma looked at Spyro, and then at her parents. "Mom? Dad? Darion?"

            They looked at her expectantly.

            "Can I return with Spyro?" she asked looking at him.

            They looked at one another, then smiled. "Whatever you wish, sweetie," Diamond told her. "As long as you visit often."

            She smiled. "I will."

            She walked to Spyro. "I have decided to go home with you."

            Spyro looked calm, but his heart was beating rapidly. "You will?" (oh what naughty thoughts are you thinking?? o.ô)

            "Will this tell you?" She gave him a tender, loving kiss.

            A few dragons whistled. Spyro turned red a little.

            "Oh, and Spyro?" Diamond said suddenly.

            He turned to her. "Yes?"

            "Will you take this medal of honor? You deserve it."

            Spyro lowered his head and Diamond put it around his neck.

            Azurite gave him a big pat on the back. "You're always welcome here, Spyro."

            He smiled. "We'll visit often."

                 Charisma beamed at him. "We'll have to."

            "Take care, of my sister, Spyro," Darion told him.

            "You know I will." He looked at Sarina next to him. "Good luck," he whispered. Darion winked.

            "Come on!" Sparx said impatiently. "I'm getting really hungry!"

                Everyone laughed at him.

            "We're all ready, Spyro," Thor told him.

            "Then lets head home," he declared.

Yeah, yeah, that part with Charisma reviving Spyro soundss like something from Final Fantasy VIII, but I assure, promise, and swear to you on my life, I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT FINAL FANTASY UNTIL 2 YEARS AGO (2000). Was FF8 even out when I wrote this? I have no idea, but since I didn't do this until I was in the 7th grade: a) I wasn't allowed to play it anyway, b) was it even out? O.o, and c) as I stated before, I didn't know o_O; I only got FF8 last year, 2001. So don't go thinking that I copied that from Squaresoft. If you ask me, I think they copied it from me! But that's about I think .; And so…I bid you all farewell…UNTIL MY NEXT STORY THAT IS! Too bad I didn't leave him for dead…would that stop the Spyro franchise…? DO I HAVE THAT MUCH POWER?!?!!?!?!? *sighs* I don't v.v oh well, hope you enjoyed the fic! And uh, well I kinda had an open-end on the bad guys cause I was going to do a sequel, but I gave that up way back when I did this thing so uh….;; sorry ^^;; I COULD do one using materials from the PS2 game…but I don't know….; I had started the sequel but it was getting too complicated and I was only in the 7th grade then when the 2nd game came out…I think…around that time anyway. And then the 3rd game came in and it kinda just threw me off so…uh…yeah. I was doing a Crash Bandicoot fic, too but it was just plain stupid that I trashed it .;; Well, ja ne!


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